From the Other Side
by MusicGeek764
Summary: Cody Watts is your basic Foot Clan ninja. An orphan recruited off the streets two years ago by Chris Bradford, the Foot Clan has given him a job, a home, and something almost like a family. It makes the law breaking worth it. Or, so he thinks. 2012 'verse, OC POV. Rated T for language and mild violent content.
1. Chapter 1

_* (If you're a bit confused, I published this earlier under a slightly different name, then took it down to change a few things)*_

_Hello! So, this is the beginning of my first multi-chapter TMNT fic! I've had some fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy reading! I should update this every week. (Check my profile for more info). This starts directly after "The Gauntlet", and I'll let you know where we are in canon during the story, though this is slightly AU. Enjoy! :D_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That right belongs to Nickelodeon/Viacom. I do own Cody Watts, and any other OC's. Please don't sue me; I have nothing worth taking!_

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From the Other Side

The worst part was always the waiting.

I _hate_ it when Master Shredder doesn't allow me, or any of the other Foot Clan ninjas, to go out on a mission, especially since he was actually going to fight. But, apparently, Chris and Xever had gone slightly rouge after Master Shredder gave them a much needed lecture, and found the Ninja Turtles. So, he had gone out after them, determined not to let Splinter's disciples slip from his grasp again.

These Ninja Turtles were strange creatures. I'm not lying when I tell you that they actually are _turtles_ who are ninjas. And I don't mean that they're the cute little turtle's kids buy from pet stores. They're human sized, and have human level intelligence, considering they talk in English to each other. And they have a very strong grasp of ninjutsu. I should know; I've fought against them before. They're tough fighters, as we've lost most of the fights. But, I know that Master Shredder will take them down this time. The turtles are good, but Master Shredder's better. I've seen him train, and it's...awe inspiring.

Master Shredder's only been in America for a few months. He came here after he learned that Splinter was here. But we've been here for years. Master Shredder's got branches of Foot Clan in many nations, and we've avoided detection for years. We're an elite clan of ninjas made up of some of the best fighters on Earth.

I'm still shocked that I'm even part of this ancient and powerful organization. I'm just an 18-year-old kid from Manhattan who got picked up off the streets at 16 and pulled into this. I've been grateful ever since. The world is a cold place to teenaged orphans, but these guys gave me a job, a home, and, at times, a family.

I'm aware that some of our activity is...not exactly legal, but it's for a good cause. We'll make them all see one day. Besides, I'll take some minor law breaking over being a homeless bum any day.

"Cody," Another ninja calls my name and I look up. We've all been waiting in Master Shredder's throne room for his return, ready to celebrate his victory over Splinters followers. "He's coming."

The worst part is almost over.

I nod and slip my mask over my face. They get rather hot, but you can see just fine through them, and they keep our identities hidden. I stand at attention with my other fellow ninjas and wait for Master Shredder to come in, victorious at last. I can already see it: He'll know where Splinter is, and we'll prepare to storm his hideout and take him down once and for all.

Instead of hearing his slow, proud, metallic footsteps, we hear the metal on his boots clanking at a very fast pace.

We all jump out of the way as Master Shredder runs in, carrying something that looks like a large fish that is jumping and gasping for air. He dumps the fish into the water around his throne room and the large, red fish immediately begins to swim in an effort to fill his gills with air. Even with the masks covering our expressions, I can tell that we're all confused.

Why does that fish look so _human_?

That's not even the most shocking part. Soon after the Master Shredder throws the fish into the water, a large, blonde dog, walking with a human-like posture, storms in. One arm is larger than the other, and he's almost covered in spikes. His eyes are a dark red, and he looks ready to attack. This animal looks human as well, and very familiar.

It hits me suddenly.

"Chris?" I ask, and it doesn't even occur to me that I'm not supposed to talk. The normal procedure has been messed up so much that I'm not even sure what to do. The dog turns to me, and his expression softens enough that I know that I'm right. That large, mutant dog is Chris Bradford, my mentor and the, now former, man who's the whole reason I'm even in the Foot Clan today.

I probably would have stared at him in shock for who knows how long if Master Shredder's angry yell didn't snap me out of it. We all look towards him, and even the fish pokes his head out of the water. For some reason, this action makes me register that the mutant fish is Xever, but I don't fully process it. I'm too focused on Master Shredder. Even before he speaks, I already know that this mission was a failure.

"They've gotten away again..." Master Shredder says, his voice much lower than I had been expected after that yell. "And it was your fault!" He yells suddenly, looking at Chris and Xever.

"Master Shredder, if there's anyone you should blame, it would be Bradford," Xever says, pointing a webbed hand at Chris, who bares his teeth and growls in response. "He's the one who poured the mutagen on us!"

"I don't care who's fault it is," Master Shredder says, and we all look at him. Even underneath his mask, I can tell that he is tired, pissed, and out for revenge. "I almost had those turtles and they got away again. I was so close to getting rid of Splinter's disciples for once and for all! These turtles aren't going to go away. We must continue our goal of taking them down. But, we must also discover the origin of this mutagen. I believe that it is what made these turtles into what they are today. Plus, we may be able to get you two back to your normal forms again," Chris and Xever both look relieved at this prospect.

"We will discuss our options tomorrow morning. Until then, you all are dismissed," Master Shredder waves us off, and I watch Chris start to make a move towards him. "And I'd like to be _left_ _alone_," At that Chris' shoulders slump, and he turns towards the crowds of ninja's leaving. I run after him, flowing him in the training room, where he begins to literally beat the sand out of a punching bag.

"Chris," I say, pulling my mask off, and he looks at me. I don't know if I'll ever get used to those black and red eyes.

"Cody, I know that this must be a bit shocking to you," He says, his voice slightly gruffer sounding than I remember it.

"What exactly happened?"

"We found the turtles attempting to disarm a large mutagen bomb set up by...someone. Something? I don't know. But, the technology of it was much more advanced than anything I've ever seen before. Even the purple one, who's much smarter than the others, was having trouble disarming the thing. We took the opportunity to strike. And I'll admit, we ended up losing."

I'm having a hard time seeing him like this. Chris is like a brother to me, and he looks so...depressed. He's been like this for a while. The fact that he's failed at capturing the turtles, which has made Master Shredder angry at him, has been taking a toll on him. It's like tonight was almost the final straw.

"I'll admit, I was fully prepared to go down with honor and take those damn turtles with me. But, that idea drove me to do something stupid. As much as I hate to admit it, Xever's right. I was the reason the mission was a failure.

"The turtles had cornered us on the bomb, near the mutagen, and I thought that if I poured it on them, I could take them down at the expense of me and Xever. But, somehow, it only hit me and Xever. We were swept off the roof, and I blacked out for a few minutes. I awoke when I felt the pain of the mutation. Somehow, Xever and I climbed back up to the roof, where Master Shredder was almost finished with those turtles. But, we distracted him, and they got away!" With that last sentence, he gave the punching bag a strong punch with his larger arm, sending the bag flying towards the wall, where it broke open on impact.

"Chris," I said, trying to find something to say that could make him feel better, but he just turned and growled at me. I instinctively jumped back and got ready to strike. That seemed to register with him some, because he backed off, and I dropped my guard.

"I'm sorry, Cody...I just need to be alone," He said, turning away from me.

"Okay," I mutter. "I'm he for ya, bro," I say, and he gives me a small smile as I leave the room.

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_So, I know that it's a little weird to not see the turtles in a TMNT fic, but they'll come...in a few chapters. XD However, we see another new face that's a little more friendly next chapter! Hope to see you next week! :D_


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2! :D So, this one's a bit more exposition and backstory, which makes it rather long, so stick with me here! XD Also, we're meeting April in this chapter as well. And we'll see the turtles soon, I promise! XD Anywho, enjoy!_

**Disclaimer's on chapter 1. Also, no using my OC's without my permission! They're something in this story I actually own, so I take some pride in them!**

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The next day, I get a text from Chris saying that Master Shredder has called off training for the day. Frankly, I was more surprised at the fact that Chris could still text with his much larger fingers than at Master Shredder's decision. I'm actually pretty thankful for it; we haven't had a day off in a while.

I sit in my apartment, messing around with a drawing on Photoshop. Making digital art is kinda my secret passion that nobody, not even Chris, knows about. The others would make fun of me for it, but I love it. As much as I love being a member of the Foot Clan, sometimes I need something a little brighter to contrast with the darkness that sometimes comes with the job. But, hey, it's a job and they pay my rent, so I'm not complaining.

Suddenly, there's a knock on my door. I get up and answer it and see Agatha O'Neil standing there. She lives down the hall. She's a kind woman, and I'm not quite sure what she does, but I know she mostly works from home.

"Hello, Agatha," I say and she gives me a small smile. She's been rather down lately; he brother mysteriously disappeared a few months back, and she's been watching her niece April since. I haven't met April yet; the last few times I've been down to Agatha's place, she's either been at school or with friends.

"Hi there, Cody. I was hoping you'd be home. The drain in my kitchens stopped up, and I really don't want to call a plumber. Would you mind helping me out?"

This is common. About a month after I moved in here, I helped a neighbor fix a dishwasher, and it became known around the building that I'm a handyman who won't charge a cent. I really don't mind. One thing my dad taught me before he died was how to make common household repairs. I feel like it's the least I can do. There's a nagging voice that says that I do these for free to try to make up for the fact that my regular job involves some law breaking, but I tend to ignore it.

"Sure thing, Agatha. I'm off today anyway," I say. "Just give me one sec," I walk back to my computer, saved my current project, shut off my computer, then grabbed my tools. I walk out of my apartment, locking the door behind me, then follow Agatha to her place.

"I'm surprised I caught you on an off day. You've been working so much lately," Agatha says, making small talk.

"Yeah, I think my boss finally figured that out, and gave us the day to relax. I think we could all need it," I say, which isn't totally a lie.

We get to her apartment and I make my way to the sink and get to work. One thing I like about Agatha is that she likes to talk while I work. Most people stand there awkwardly like they're afraid if they talk to me, I'll get distracted and not do the job right. I'd much rather talk while I work, as it passes time. That's my least favorite part about being a ninja; we have to be silent during missions. Though, that is kinda the point of being _ninjas_.

"So, where's April?" I ask, noticing that she's absent again.

"Still at school, though she'll be home soon. I've asked her to come home and at least finish her homework before she visits her friends. She's at their house almost every day, and she gets home very late."

"At least she's hanging out with friends and not mopping about her dad," I say, working on loosening a pipe.

"Yes, I do like that she's being social. But, it's not her normal friends, like Irma. Apparently, right before Kirby went missing, four brothers moved into her school, and she's been hanging out with them ever since. I'm a little worried, but she's told me that they're very trustworthy, but that their dad is rather overprotective. He must be; I haven't been able to meet them yet."

The words "four brothers" sticks out slightly, but I push it away. I figure that it's just Master Shredder's obsessiveness over the turtles getting to me. Besides, they're giant ninja turtles. They can't go to school. And there's a very low chance that April even knows that there is such a thing as mutant ninja turtles.

I keep working on the pipe while Agatha brags a little about how April's top in her class in science, which isn't a shock; her dad's a scientist. Suddenly, the door opens and a young girls voice calls out "I'm home!"

"Hello April! Come in and meet Cody. You know, the man down the hall that always fixes stuff for free," Agatha says as April walks into the kitchen. She's about 16, with red hair pulled back off her face with both a ponytail and a head band. She's got a yellow jersey style shirt with the number 5 on it and she's pulling a yellow backpack off her shoulders. I think I know her favorite color. I notice dark circles under her eyes, like she hasn't been sleeping much.

I stand up, dry my hands on a dish towel, and reach out to shake her hand, which she returns. "Hi, April. I'm Cody Watts."

"April O'Neil," She says, polite and with a smile. "I was expecting you to be a lot older. No offence," She says quickly.

I laugh slightly. "It's fine. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Yeah, I've been rather busy lately," She says, and her pale blue eyes shift away slightly. "Well, I better get started on my homework," She says quickly.

"Well, I've got to get back to your sink so your aunt can wash dishes."

"I'd have more dishes to watch if _someone_ would eat dinner with her aunt sometimes," Agatha says to April, half joking. April shrugs as she heads to her room.

Agatha sighs. "She's always over at their house, always eating dinner and doing...something, she's never very specific about what they do, beyond hang out and play video games and stuff," Agatha says dismissively. "I mean, I'm so glad she has friends. Things have been kinda tough at school, with her dad being gone, and she already doesn't have a mother at home..." She trails off, and I can tell that this is a sticky subject. "Anyway, I'm glad she's got friends who are supportive and make her happy, but I miss her."

"At least she has you and her friends for a support system," I say, and mean it. I didn't have great friends or a nice relative to take me in when my parents died. I was completely on my own at 15, on the streets of New York City. Almost right after my 16th birthday, I was having a generally bad day when I got mugged. Months of built up anger snapped and I just started beating these guys up. What I didn't know at the time is that I was by Chris Bradford's dojo, and he saw what was going on. He saw my potential and heard my sob story, so he took me in as a Foot Clan recruit. A month later, I was inducted as a full member.

Agatha gives me a sad smile. Most of the building knows that I'm orphaned and out completely on my own. They think, however, that I was able to finish high school and that I'm working a normal job that somehow covers my bills. It's all a lie, I had to drop out of school soon after my parent's death, but it works and I'm not gonna change my story.

"What happened to you?" A small voice asks, and I see April in the door way. Agatha makes a motion to tell April to be quiet, but I shush her, finish the job, turn the sink on to show Agatha that it's working, then sit at the table. April quickly joins me.

"I was 15, just sitting in school. I don't even know what class it was, when the principal called me out of class. We went down to his office and he sat me down. I was so scared that I was in trouble, because, between you and me, I had cheated on a homework assignment," I chuckled slightly. "I wish I had just gotten caught cheating. Because he told me that there had been a fire at the apartment complex we lived in, and that I had lost just about everything, including my parents," I stop, because I have to remember the story I use.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure how I got through it; I just did. I managed my way through school somehow, getting job to help support myself, and got the apartment after graduating and moved to a full time job. Since then, life's been pretty good."

"Wow, I'm so sorry. I hate to sound like every other person, but it's true," April said, and I can tell she's putting herself into my situation. "But, I guess I have it easier, because I know my dad's alive, and I'll fi-see him again someday," She says, very determined sounding, while I see Agatha behind her shake her head sadly.

Her last second word swap has confused me somewhat. It sounds like she was about to say "find", but instead switched it with "see" last minute.

"Well, I hope you're right," I say, then decide to try something slightly risky. "How long has your dad been missing?"

"About three, close to four months," She says, staring out a window. Something in my brain clicks. _That was about the time the turtles first showed up. _

"I know I'll see him again soon," April continues. "He's done so much for me already..." She mutters, almost to herself. I notice that her eyes look slightly red and puffy, like she's been crying. "I better get back to my homework," She says suddenly, standing up. "It was nice talking to you."

"As well. I hope they find your dad soon, April," I say, and mean every word.

April gives a sad, slightly forced smile in response. "Thanks," She mutters, then turns back towards her room. As she leaves, I swear I hear her mutter "We were _so close_ last night!"

Agatha thanks me for the repair, and I leave with a goodbye, then head to my apartment. I honestly feel bad for April, as I can kinda put myself in her shoes. She's only a year older than I was at the time. I'd like to talk to her some more; she seems like a nice girl. Though, even though I've just met her, something about her seemed...off today. I think Agatha noticed it too.

And for some reason, I can't get that connection I made out of my mind. How strange is it that a neighbor's brother disappears around the same time the turtles show up? Do the turtles have anything to do with it? I roll my eyes at my silly thoughts. It's probably just a simple coincidence. I've just been focusing on the turtles too much over these past few months, that's why my mind immediately jumped there. So, why couldn't I let that thought go?


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3! So, this one's a bit shorter, just slowing down a bit. I wanted to explore Cody and Chris Bradford's relationship some more. And before you ask, yes, it was very weird to write Dogpound in a more positive light. XD Also, sorry if it's confusing that I'm calling Dogpound "Chris". But, Cody's not gonna call him Dogpound! XD Anywho, read on!_

**Disclaimer's on chapter 1. Do I have to put it again?**

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I stare across the training room, looking at the ninja on the other side. I believe his name is Tyler, but it's hard to tell underneath the hood. I do know that he's been in the Foot longer than I have. I'm eager to prove that my skills are sharp enough that I can take on someone with more experience, which may be vital. Master Shredder believes that the turtles have been trained from a young age, giving them years over many of us.

"_Hajime_!" Master Shredder calls out, and it's like instinct. Tyler pulls out a staff and immediately goes on the defensive. I jump up, flipping through the air slightly, and give him a sharp roundhouse kick to the face. He staggers backwards as I land. He charges, throwing a punch, which I dodge.

Making this a hand-to-hand fight was his mistake. I excel best at hand-to-hand combat, though I carry small blades just in case. I've never been very proficient with weapons, though I can use them if needed. All I need are a few katas and an opponent.

After a brief struggle, he grabs my arm. I use his momentum to flip him over on to the floor. Before he can even react, I've yanked him up by the shirt and have a knife to his throat.

"_Yame_!" Master Shredder calls, and I drop Tyler, who yanks his hood off and gives me a death glare, his blonde hair falling in his face. I pull my own hood off and offer a small grin and a handshake, but Tyler just narrows his eyes and storms off.

"Sore looser much?" I mutter to myself, running my hands through my short, brown hair. I could never get how some members could deal with longer hair under their hoods. It bugs me too much, which is why I take to a buzz cut.

"Very good, Watts. You're skills are improving rapidly," Master Shredder says, walking over to me.

"Thank you, Master," I say respectfully and bow, but inside I'm ecstatic. _Master Shredder_ gave me a complement! This is one of the highest honors I have ever received, next to being inducted into the Foot Clan.

Training continues as normal, though I notice an absence of both Chris and Xever. I get Xever, as he can no longer breath outside of water, but Chris' absence worries me, so after training, I go to find him.

He's sitting in his room, staring out a window, and it takes me a second to register that the large dog man is practically my best friend. Most members of the Foot Clan live in the headquarters, as it used to be an apartment complex before we bought it. I lived here soon after joining, but decided I wanted a place of my own once I was old enough. After being completely dependent on the Foot for two years, I wanted a measure of freedom. They cover my rent and utilities, but everything else is up to me.

"Hi, Chris," I say, coming in.

"Hey, Cody," He replies, sighing slightly.

"Why weren't you at training?"

"Are you here to lecture me?!" Chris suddenly yells, turning to face me. I shrink back slightly.

"No, no! That's not it at all! Just a curious question."

Chris backs off slightly, though I can still see the edge. "Sorry. I'm just so frustrated with this form! And you're not the first person to ask about my absence..."

"Master Shredder?" I ask, and Chris nods.

"He says he can see potential in this new form, that I'll be able to do much greater things now. But, I was doing great things before! I was one of the top martial artists in the world! Now, I'm nothing more than a...mutant freak. Just like those damn turtles."

I put a reassuring hand on his arm, and resist the instinct to pet him. "But, look at you! You're now the strongest member of the Foot Clan in muscular strength! You're one of our most threatening members now! And, you're not stuck in an aquarium like another member I'm thinking of..." I can see a small smile creep across Chris' face, and I'm relieved to see my friend start to perk up.

"You're right. You and Master Shredder. There is lots of potential in this form! Now I'm itching to see what I can do! I can't wait to show those turtles that they have made me into a much greater threat!" He's in such a good mood, so I decide to not bring up that it _was_ his fault that he was mutated in the first place, not the turtles.

"So, how was training today?" He asks, looking up at me.

"Pretty good. I whipped the floor with Tyler," I say, smirking slightly.

"Atta boy! Tyler's a good sparring partner, though not much for loosing."

"I noticed that. Master Shredder said that he sees a lot of improvement in me."

"And he's right. Good for you for getting called out like that. I knew you had potential when I saw you beating up those muggers a few years ago. I watched you, and I knew you'd be perfect for the Foot Clan."

"And I'm glad you thought that."

"Yeah, I did have a good eye for recruits," He says, making a motion to give me a friendly punch. Unfortunately, it's his larger arm, so I duck out of the way and he hits the wall, putting a hole in the drywall. We both cringe, and I'm glad that I ducked.

"I, uh, guess I don't know my own strength," He mutters, rubbing his hand behind his back in an embarrassed sort of way. We both start laughing, and I'm relieved to see him acting like his old self again.

"So, Mr. Fix-It, do you mind patching some drywall?" Chris asks, using the nickname he started calling me by once he learned that I can make repairs.

"Sure, just let me run back to my place and get my stuff," I say, and I do run back to my apartment building, using rooftops and shadows to keep myself hidden, as I realized I'm still in my Foot Clan gear. I grab my things and make my way back to the Foot Clan's headquarters.

Chris and I joke as I patch the hole in the wall, me saying that if he had come to training he'd be able to control his new-found strength better, and he retaliates by threatening to break my shoulder again.

Once I finish, I say goodbye, put my civilian clothes back on and make my way back to my apartment normally. On my way up the stairs, I catch April going down.

"Hey Cody, what's with the tools?" She asks as we meet up on a landing.

"A friend of mine accidentally put a hole in his wall, so I did a patch job for him," I say.

"How'd he do that?" She asks, a giggle behind her question.

"He doesn't know his own strength," I say, smirking slightly. "Where are you heading?"

"A friend's house," She says.

"The brothers your aunt was telling me about yesterday?"

"Yeah. They just...there for me. Ya' know? They seem to get it better than my other friends do..."

"Well, I'm glad you have friends who are there for you."

"I feel bad that I don't spend a lot of time with my school friends anymore, but...they just don't know what to say. The guys... I don't know how, but they seem to get me better than anyone else I've known."

"Wait, I thought you met them at school?"

"Oh, is that what my aunt told you? She got confused again. They're homeschooled by their dad. I met them at a...pizza place."

I notice her pause before "pizza place", but choose to ignore it. "Well, I shouldn't keep them from you any longer. You have a nice day, April," I say, starting to head back upstairs.

"You too, Cody," April replies, smiling, then heads downstairs.

_Poor girl. I hope they find her dad soon. And if the turtles are involved at all in his disappearance, I will personally make sure they pay._

* * *

_I'm not one to ask for reviews, but are you guy's enjoying this? I know that I've got people reading, but I'm curious as to what you guys think of it. So, if you wouldn't mind leaving a review and putting my overly paranoid mind at ease. XD I won't beg again, I promise, and I'll keeping updating even if no one reviews. See you all next chapter! :D_


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4! Thanks to everyone who calmed my paranoid mind! XD Quick note: Text messages are in _**bold.**_Things are going to start heating up! And we may start seeing some more familiar faces. So, I'm not going to say much else but enjoy! :)_

**I don't think suing a teenager would look good to the press.**

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Time passed. A little over two weeks after Master Shredder nearly got rid of the turtles, we attempted to destroy their sewer home with a chemical that reacts violently with water. I attempted to point out that this would destroy the entire sewer system in at least part of the city, but they didn't listen. I wasn't assigned to the mission due to that. Chris led the mission, which ended up failing due to - get this - go karts and a well-timed water balloon.

Both Master Shredder and Chris were mad, of course. Chris has been acting...different lately. More aggravated and almost...violent at times. I blamed the mutation, like he was still adjusting to the new form.

I was wondering around the headquarters, when I found myself in Master Shredder's throne room. I made a move to leave, when I found that it was empty. Or, well, it was almost empty.

I could hear Xever swimming around in the water surrounding the walkways. As I walked over to the water, I saw that there they had put a sheet of Plexiglas over the top of the water, making it look like Xever was trapped in a giant fish tank.

Xever notices my arrival, and swims up to the surface. "What, have you come here to laugh at me too?" His normally accented voice has a bubbly quality to it as he talks into the water. Even with the bubble quality, there was still an edge to his voice as sharp as the knives he always loved using.

"Nah, I just wandered in here. When did they put this in?" I ask, indicating towards the Plexiglas.

"Last night while I was asleep. I hate this!" He suddenly yells, hitting his webbed hand on the Plexiglas in anger. "I'm useless in this form! Even Bradford is useful, and he's the reason we're like this in the first place! But, you don't care; you were always Bradford's lapdog,"

I try not to take the lapdog comment to hard. Xever's always had a mean streak, but I do feel bad for him. Stuck like this, unable to leave the water, unable to help with anything. It must suck.

I try to think of something to say, when he waves me off with a fin. "Just leave me alone," He mutters, then swims off. I shrug lightly, then make my way home. I've got nothing better to do.

It's a cool, clear night and I look up towards the roofs and spot the fire escape. I see a flash of red hair, and recognize April on the landing. It looks like she's talking to someone, because her lips are moving and she's smiling. I try to see who she's talking to, but they're somehow not in my line of vision.

She waves goodbye, sadness creeping into her smile, and I see a streak of green and purple on the roof for a split second. It was so fast, I could've imagined it.

I start climbing the fire escape, just to talk to her a little, maybe figure out who she was talking to. "Hey, April," I say as I make it to her landing.

I don't expect a kick to come flying at my face. I dodge and instinctively get ready to attack, even though I know I won't have to. April gives me a rather hard glare, also ready to strike, until she realizes who I am.

"Cody?! You scared the crap out of me!" April exclaims.

"Sorry, I saw you talking with a friend, and I thought I'd say hi," I say back, and April's eyes widen slightly.

"Well, you just missed him. Did you happen to see him?" She sounds anxious.

"No," I say, slightly confused by the question. April looks relieved.

"That was great form," I continue. "Where'd you learn that?"

"Oh, ever since my dad was kidnapped, I've been taking self-defense classes."

"He was kidnapped?"

"Yeah…You didn't know that?"

"No," I say, and an awkward silence follows.

"How'd you know I had good form?" She asks, changing the subject.

"I've taken self-defense too, so I know how it's supposed to go."

"Well, I better head in," She says. "You're gonna want to find another way in, as this leads to my room."

"Don't worry, I'm good," I say, then wave goodbye and head over to my bedroom window. One of the first things I did when I got this apartment was see if I could make my way in through my bedroom window. Call it a "ninja challenge", though it didn't take too long.

I had just made my way into my apartment when my phone went off. I recognized the number as the call all text system for the Foot Clan. I opened the text.

**Meet in Master Shredder's room in 10 min for a mission.**

* * *

I quickly make my way over to headquarters, pausing only to put my uniform on, and go to Master Shredder's room. I bow with everyone else as a sign of respect. Chris is there, bowing slightly ahead, signalizing his position as mission leader. I sneak a glace over to the water, but don't hear or see Xever.

Master Shredder appears and sits in his chair. "Our sources with the Purple Dragons have spotted one of the turtles running across the rooftops alone." My mind goes to the flash of green and purple I saw only a few minutes prior, but I ignore it. I have to focus on Master Shredder.

"You all will follow this turtle and bring him to me _alive_. I will interrogate him until he reveals where Splinter is, then he will die, followed soon by the others." We all can't help but grin slightly at this.

He continues, his voice becoming more menacing. "I do not want another failure. If there is, there will be consequences."

I know what he means by "consequences", and I do not want to go through them.

"Now, _go_!" He yells, and we head out into the New York air.

I run ahead on rooftops with a few others, while most everyone else goes to the unmarked vans we use for missions. I'm one of the fastest runners, and only one of few who can clear rooftops, so I'm on scouting. I run ahead, keeping my eye out for the turtle.

A few feet ahead, I spot him. Tall and lean, with purple tails flying off his mask as he runs. I press a button on my phone which will alert the others that I've got eyes on the turtle and I'm trailing him. The others will find and follow me, then we'll surround him and take him down.

I continue following the turtle, leaping silently across rooftops. I can sense the presents of my fellow ninjas around me, but don't see them. We are no longer individuals. We are faceless, nameless members of an elite organization. We are strong together.

The turtle suddenly makes a sharp right onto a different rooftop, and I stumble slightly following him. When I make it onto the roof, I've lost sight of him. I feel the rest of the team join me. After a few minutes of waiting, Chris grows impatient and comes out of the shadows.

That turns out to be a mistake.

A flash of silver blades and a blue mask, and suddenly two ninjas are fighting who we believe to be the leader of the turtles. It's katanas against katanas as the sound of clashing metal fills the air.

A sudden weight pushes me to the ground, pinning me down. I begin to struggle, and a voice above me mutters "Oh, no ya don't!" I recognize it as the voice of the red turtle, and it begins to make sense why I can get him off my back. He's easily the strongest physically of the four.

"Booyakasha!" A youthful voice yells from my left and a see a streak of orange and green attack Chris, knocking him back slightly. This one is Michelangelo, which we know because Chris pretended to befriend him once to find out more about Splinter. Though original data showed Michelangelo, or "Mikey", as he seems to prefer, to be kinda…strange, he's a very strong fighter. We all know not to underestimate him, or any of the turtles.

A shadow moves behind a billboard that's on top of the roof, and the purple one appears from behind the board. He finds me, still trapped beneath his brother, and smirks. He _knew_! The whole time I was trailing him, he knew! But, he gave no indication of knowing I was there…

I have led my team into a trap.

The weight on my back is suddenly gone. I look to my right and see two ninjas have pushed the red one off of me and are starting to fight him.

I see an opportunity. If I can take down the purple one and bring him to Master Shredder, then the fact that I lead them into a trap will be forgiven. I have a chance at redemption.

I charge towards him. His brown eyes widen, then narrow, then seem to disappear completely as he charges towards me. I jump over his bo staff swings, and land a punch to his face. He staggers backwards, holding his cheek, and I move in for the final strike.

I move in to make a punch when he plants his staff on the ground, grabs it with both hands, then swings around on it. He uses the momentum to push both of his feet into my side as he dodges my punch. I'm sent flying backwards into the billboard, my back hitting the wood. I can feel the bruises form, but the most alarming part is when the shock of the hit tears my hood off.

The purple one makes his way over to me, intending for a final strike. I cringe, but keep my eyes locked on his. I watch his brown eyes meet my hazel ones, and I see something in his I'd never thought I'd see in any of their eyes; humanity.

He's staring at me, his staff to his side, like he's not sure of what to do. We look at each other, and it hits me that he looks…almost like a teenager. He can't be much younger than I am, possibly close in age to April. And, despite the outward appearance, he seems so _human_. I'm baffled; all I'd heard from Chris, Xever, and Master Shredder is that these turtles were ruthless, nothing more than ninja warrior puppets controlled by Splinter.

In a sudden move, he spins his staff, then puts it away in a sheath attached to his back. "Go," His voice is quiet, but there's a gentleness to it as well. He looks at me as I slowly get up, his hands on his staff in case I try anything. But, I'm done. I've been so thrown off by his mercy, that I know that, for now anyway, I can't attack him or his brothers. I nod once, then leap off into an alley way and wait for the fight to end.

I know it's over when I see the turtles run back off into the night, leaving victorious once again.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5! This one's kinda long and rather important. Also, warning: There's some violence and blood in this chapter. And a bit of implied torture. Yeah…Enjoy! XD_

**You're going to enjoy this too much to consider suing me.**

* * *

I meet up with the others soon after, a few tending injuries. Nobody asks where I was, or what happened to my hood, because it doesn't matter. We've lost. Yet another failure for us. I shudder as I think about what consequences Master Shredder will have for us. We make our way back, and we begin walking through the building.

Suddenly, Chris turns towards me and, with a growl, shoves me into a wall. The bruises on my back scream as they smack into the stone wall, and I allow myself to give a grunt of pain.

"_That_ was for leading us into a trap!" He says, bearing his teeth, before storming off. I get up, rubbing my back, and follow the others into Master Shredder's room and bow, my back giving a spasm of pain as I do so.

"Another failure," Master Shredder mutters, and I'd take my back pain times ten over hearing the disappointment in his voice. "Why?"

It's silent. Normally, we all take the fall for a failure in a group effort like this. After all, we're all in the group, so we all share the blame. Chris, however, stands up and looks at Master Shredder. He leans closer to Chris, interested as to why he's decided to speak.

"Master, do not blame all of us for this mission's failure. You should, instead, blame Cody Watts." My breath catches in my throat. I must be hearing things. We never place blame on specific team members, unless there is a traitor in the midst. And that was something Chris instituted in us back when he was in charge of the New York branch of the Foot Clan. The fact that he's selling me out…I can't even describe the feeling. I'd take my back pain times 100 over this.

"He didn't even realize that the turtle he was following was aware that he was behind him, and that turtle lead us straight into a trap were all four ambushed us. Also, he left in the middle of the fight. He deserves the blame for this failure"

The air has been sucked out of the room, and I can feel the other ninja's eyes on me. I feel Master Shredder look at me well, and his stare almost burns.

"Cody Watts, stand up," Master Shredder commands. I obey, hoping that he'll see reason. "I want everyone else to leave the room."

I start shaking as I realize that he won't. I don't even look at Chris as he walks by me. I can feel the pity coming from the others. For once, I'll take it. I'm in such shock. I'm just completely numb as Master Shredder slowly walks over to me.

He tears what's left of my hood off and holds it. "Be glad this is your first time that you've given me trouble," He says, looking at the hood. I can't even speak, I'm shaking so badly.

He gives me a sharp, sudden kick to the gut, and I double over, gasping for breath. I'm on my knees, holding my stomach, and I look up at him. He smacks me straight across the face, and I'm lying on the ground. He walks around, and kicks me in the back, right where bruises are already forming, with the metal toe of his boots. At this, I allow a cry of pain to escape.

"You will not fail me again," He mutters menacingly as he walks back over to face me. I'm lying on my side, gasping from the amount of pain. He yanks me up by my shirt collar, and looks me straight in the eye. This is the first time that I've noticed how heavily scared his face is. But, I'm distracted when he makes the blades come out of his gauntlets.

I begin to truly realize why we call him "Master Shredder" as I feel pain start to seep up my arm.

* * *

I stumble out of the building, breathing heavily. Somehow, I've remembered to change into normal clothes before leaving. The remains of my hood have been torn into strips of cloth, which I am pressing to my left forearm in an attempt to stop the bleeding. I ignore the cut on my right eyebrow and the trail of blood falling down my face from it, as well as the bruises that line my legs that cry out in pain as I walk home.

I don't even know what to think. So much has happened tonight, and I having a feeling of being lost. So, I decide to shut it out, at least for now. I need to focus on tending to my wounds, and not on how I got them.

I stumble up the stairs to my apartment, and it hits me then that I'm losing too much blood. My vision wavers slightly, and I know I'm not going to make it to my door without passing out. I manage to get to my floor, stumbling slightly, and I see Agatha O'Neil's door. I can make it there.

I wobble down the hallway, my vision blacking in and out, and I give a feeble knock on the door. At least, I think I knock; I also fall onto the door with a thud, which may have been more effective.

I hear a muttering as the door opens and Agatha appears in the doorway, tying a robe over her pajamas. He tired eyes widen as she looks over me.

"Cody Watts! What happened to you? Never mind that, come inside!" She says quickly as she leads me into one of her kitchen chairs and turns a light on.

"Aunt Aggie?" A tried voice calls from the hallway and April appears, wearing yellow pajamas. Her hair is down, hitting her shoulders in a tangled, bedhead mess. Her eyes widen as she spots me in my disheveled state.

"C-Cody?" She stutters out. "What happened?" She asks, while pulling out a first aid kit.

"I got hungry and went to make a sandwich," I say, my voice not much above a whisper. I wince as April uses a washcloth to clean the cut on my eyebrow before I continue. "But, I dropped my large knife and I had some trouble catching it."

Luckily, they seem to buy my story, as April can't help but give a snicker of laughter and mutter "I'll say." Her smile disappears as she sees my arm.

"Boy, you had a lot of trouble," She says as she goes to look at my arm. Her eyebrows rise slightly at the cloth covering the wound, but she shrugs it off. She looks around the bandages, and her eyes widen.

"It's still bleeding…" She mutters, then turns to her aunt. "Call an ambulance," She says, and her aunt nods, pulling her phone out.

I waiver in and out of conscious as April tends to my wounds while Agatha talks to the 911 operator. Soon after I'm loaded into the ambulance, I black out entirely.

* * *

Bright lights. Too white, too bright. I need to hide in the shadows, in the dark. It's too bright here, I'm too exposed.

Agony. That's what I feel as I try to move. I bite back a scream of pain as I slowly open my eyes, then panic as I can't see out of my right eye.

I hear footsteps on my left, and look out of my left eye as a doctor walks into a room.

"Good, you're awake. And before you ask, no, you're not blind in your right eye. We had to bandage it in case the cut on your eyebrow started bleeding again. We don't want blood going into a perfectly good eye.

"Can you remove the bandages?" I ask. I hate being lopsided like this.

"Sure, I need to check the cut anyway," He says, then carefully removes the bandage. I blink, adjusting to the light as he looks at the cut.

"It looks pretty good," He remarks. "The stitches from that cut will fade as it heals, though you won't ever grow hair in that particular part of that eyebrow from scaring. The ones on your arm, however, you'll need to come back in two weeks to have removed.

"So, you got the cut on your arm and eyebrow by accidentally dropping and attempting to catch a knife, right?" I nod. "So, my question is, where did you get the bruises on your legs and back?"

Crap. I'd forgotten about those. Of course the doctors would find them. Come on, come on, come on, think…

"I fell off my bike riding home from work," I say, and I've got enough conviction in my voice that the doctor reluctantly nods.

I go through another change of bandages, though my right eye remains uncovered, and I'm discharged from the hospital early that afternoon. I make my way back to my apartment building, stopping by Agatha's to let her know I'm alright. I don't see April, as she's still at school. Then, I go back to my own apartment and freshen up a little. I look at my phone and see a text message. I already know what it says. If anyone in the Foot Clan is hospitalized, we get a week off to recover.

I sit at my computer and just draw on Photoshop. I don't even focus on what I'm doing; I just put my emotions onto the screen. Hours pass until I decide I'm done, then I look over what I've drawn.

It's mostly black, with splatters of red. Blood, with a streak of silver blades at the top of the screen. But, down in the corner, a spot of purple, with brown eyes peeking through.

I save it as "Confusion", and shut my laptop down hard. I _am_ confused. A turtle has shown me mercy, and my best friend has betrayed me. It wouldn't surprise me if I was told that up is actually down. That red is actually blue. That Master Shredder is actually bad.

…Where did _that_ thought come from?

I shake it off. Yesterday and today have thrown me off so much, that I'm not even sure what to think anymore. What _am _I supposed to think?

I give a yell of frustration as I pace around my apartment. What do I do? Who do I believe? What side am I on?

I have been taught since I was 16, since I joined the Foot Clan, that this organization was elite, powerful, and always right. I've been taught that there was a system of respect to be shared among its members. And I've been taught that enemies of the Foot Clan are evil, ruthless, and that it is our duty to take them down.

But, that turtle, the one in purple, has shaken that to the core. He showed me mercy; he proved that despite everything Master Shredder has told us, despite his outward appearance, he's human. He has emotions, he has feelings, and he's more than just an evil, emotionless ninja. But, was this a one-time thing? Was he trying to rebel by showing me mercy? Or all they all like that? Are we mistaken?

And Chris' betrayal has only made this even more confusing. He was the guy who got me off the streets, who gave me something of a future. Who knows where I'd be if it wasn't for him? He gave me a code to live by, a compass to follow. And yet, last night, he broke the code that he taught all of us, including me. The betrayal is hard to swallow.

And Master Shredder…I always knew that he was a tough leader who did not like failure. But, I never expected him to become so, so…_ruthless_ when dealing with someone who'd made a mistake. It wasn't like our turtle mission was completely over now. We still have a chance to catch them.

Do I _want_ to catch the turtles? The purple one's mercy is making me less sure. Could I still fight them, especially the purple one? Is this really the right thing to do?

All this thinking and rhetorical questions have my head spinning. A feel a headache start. It's painful and intense, with light making it worse. Not even closing the blinds help. I know that it's a migraine, even though I'm not prone to them. I put on a pair of pajamas and crawl into bed, drawing the blinds shut, and decide to sleep on this. I've got some time, after all, before I have to face the Foot Clan again.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6! After the last few big chapters, I'm giving you guys a short breather. Though, it does start with a dream/nightmare sequence, which I always love writing. One thing about my breathers/fillers, though, is that things always pick up next chapter. ;) For now, however, enjoy! :)_

**Now, I'm a HUGE fan of the show, so if you sue me, I'd make a big deal to the press about how the mean Nick lawyers are suing such a huge fan. I don't think that'd help your case. ;)**

* * *

I'm falling. It's a short fall, though, as I'm on the ground quickly. I look at the stone floor beneath me, and realize that I'm in Master Shredder's room.

Pain writhes up my left forearm, and something wet is on it. I look at it and see a fountain of red coming from a long, deep gash. It burns as muscle and bone are exposed to a foreign air.

I look up, only to see a streak of silver, and my head flies back from an impact. More pain, this time on my forehead. I fall back to the ground, my head tucked into my chest as I tremble slightly. I raise a shaking hand to my head and feel more blood.

Something is thrown on the ground in front of me. "Do not disappoint them again," Master Shredder says, then I hear his metallic footsteps leave the room. Once I'm certain he's gone, I look up at the object he's thrown on the ground. It's my hood. I reach out for it, only for the room to spin.

The scene changes. I'm now standing, uninjured, and the mask has become a Foot Clan ninja. I know that I'll have to fight him. I'm not sure why; maybe he's a traitor. Anyway, we charge towards each other.

I don't even focus on what moves I'm doing, I just fight. I use a kick move that sends him flying back towards the black. I run after him. When I reach him, I notice that his mask is coming off. I pull it off, curious as to who this is.

I stagger backwards. The man under the mask…is me.

I reach out, but then notice my hand as it's not my hand. It's wrapped in white strips of cloth, has only three fingers, and is green. I look down. Green, scaly legs, only three toes, and the front of a plastron. A _turtle_ _shell_?

I panic and turn, only to find a mirror. _I'm_ the purple turtle. Brown eyes from behind a purple mask, staring with a mouth open in shock, revealing a gap in the top set of teeth. I walk backwards, and the turtle does as well.

I blink, and suddenly, I'm myself again, wearing what I wore to bed. I look to my right and see a random Foot Clan ninja, Chris, and Master Shredder. To my left, the turtles, the purple one out in front. Behind them is a taller figure hidden in shadows. Splinter?

The two groups seem to spot each other, as the all take battle stances. I realize that I'm caught in the middle of two rival groups.

The two groups charge towards each other - and me. "Wait, stop! No!"

* * *

I wake up gasping. I get up and control my breathing. I remind myself that I've got a week to figure things out. On the bright side, my migraine's gone.

The next two days pass in a smooth monotony. I run errands and draw and just relax. It's been a while since I've had this much time to myself, and I allow myself to put my mind at ease.

One evening, three days after the nightmare, I order pizza and go up to the roof to eat. It's calm up here, looking over towards Manhattan and the bay.

"Mind if I join you?" I turn and see April standing behind me. How'd she get up here so quietly? Normally, my instincts would have picked up on someone sneaking up behind me. I blame it on being out of practice.

"No prob. I ordered a bit too much anyway," I say and she smiles as she walks over.

"I haven't seen you since that night. How've you been?"

"I'm good, though I'll have an awkward break in my right eyebrow forever," I say, rolling my eyes upward, and April looks at the forming scar.

"Eh, it'll make you look tough," She says, giving me a slight punch on the arm. She notices the bandages covering my arm, and I wish I'd worn a long sleeved shirt.

"Man, you cut yourself up pretty badly," She mutters.

"Yeah." There's a pause as April takes a slice.

"I figured you be with those friends of yours," I say, taking up a new line of conversation.

"They're busy tonight. They're spending some time with their father," She says, then chuckles slightly.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, their dad is just, kinda… unconventional sometimes. Not in a bad way, it's just he has a slightly different idea of 'family time'."

"Well, my dad used to have us fix things as father-son time."

"That explains why you're so good at that sort of stuff."

"Yeah, and I watched my mom paint," I say, softly, allowing myself to go back into my memories a bit. April watches me, her face looking a little sad, and it hits me that, somehow, she's lost her mom too.

"My mom loved to sing. While my dad and I's bonding time was playing with a child's chemistry set, I sit and watch my mom play piano and sing a bunch of older songs," April says softly, and I can tell she's going back to happier times too. "One day, I'd love to learn how to play piano, so I can play all those songs again. I'm not much of a singer, but it'd be fun to learn."

"I can't paint on a canvas, but I'm pretty good on Photoshop," I say, and I realize she's the first person I've ever told about this beyond my parents. I couldn't help it; I'm starting to see April as the little sister I've never had. She's tough, but sweet, and it's nice to have friends who aren't ninjas.

"Really?" She asks, and I nod.

"But, don't tell anyone else."

"Not a soul. I'm good at keeping secrets," She says, and chuckles to herself, like there's a joke I'm missing. "Do you have any of your mom's old paintings?"

"Only a few small ones. Most were either purchased or burned in the fire."

We sit a little while longer, exchanging stories from our pasts, when things were a little brighter, when moms sung and painted, and dads weren't forcibly taken from you. We laugh and eat pizza until the sun goes down, and April says that she needs to head back to her apartment before her aunt starts to worry. I tell her to say "Hi," to Agatha for me, then wave as she climbs back down to the fire escape.

I head down myself, but instead of staying inside for the night, I pull on my extra Foot Clan outfit, pull up the hood, and make my way up to the roof.

Tonight, I decide, I'm going on a run.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7! The turtles are coming back! Well, one of them is, anyway. XD Which one? Well, you've gotta read on to find out! _

**You realize if you sued me, I'd wear my Donatello hat to court and spend all my time gushing about TMNT just to make you guilty.**

* * *

There is freedom in running. With nothing but rooftops stretched out in front of me, I feel like I could run forever. I could leave the city, leave the turtles, leave the Foot, just keep going and never stop. Everything melts away. I'm not sure how long I run, but it slowly gets darker and darker until it's nearly pitch black out. I decide to head home, taking a short cut that I've discovered while doing missions.

I get back to my own roof and I'm about to head in, when I hear a noise from my left. I turn, and see a staff heading straight for my face. I dodge, jumping out of the way. I wait, then sense someone behind me. I jump up, anticipating the attackers strategy of knocking my off my feet. I swing back with a kick, but the attacker jumps out of my way, staying in the shadow.

I turn, and head back towards where I enter my apartment through the window. I walk a little, then turn suddenly and catch the swinging staff. I smirk, realizing my attacker fell for my trap. I plant my feet and swing the staff to the left, hoping to bring this guy into the light. There's a cry, and the weight from the other end of the staff disappears, followed by a dull thud behind me.

I turn and the purple turtle is making his way up off the ground. He looks up, and his pupils shrink, but he keeps looking at me, staying on his hands and knees. I can tell what he's thinking. I've got his staff, and the other turtles would have shown up by now if they were around. He's defenseless and at my mercy.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

If I captured this turtle, I could make myself up to Master Shredder, and show him that I'm not incompetent. I could rub it in Chris' face, but, at the same time, maybe we could make up. My reputation would be renewed. My problems would be solved.

But, something keeps me from doing this. I think of what Master Shredder did a few days ago, and how Chris caused that to happen. And I think of all the changes that have come about ever since Master Shredder came to New York. How much stricter and tougher he was, how a lot of our original goals were placed aside for his mad obsession with the turtles. And I look at the turtle in front of me, the one who showed me mercy, and I just can't do it.

At this point, the turtle is confused, and he's starting to get up. He stares at me, and I can tell by the look in his eyes that he's analyzing me, trying to figure out what I'm thinking.

"So, how've you been?" The mildly sarcastic remark leaves my mouth before I really even process what I'm saying. I watch his eyes widen in shock, and it occurs to me that the only members of the Foot he's ever heard speak were Chris, Xever, and Master Shredder.

"Stop staring at me like that. I'm off duty anyway, so it's okay." I say.

"If you're off duty, why are you dressed like that?" His voice carries an air of intelligence. It's more the voice I'd associate with a college professor than a ninja turtle.

"I was running and didn't want to be spotted," I'm being honest, but I can tell by the way he looks at me, that he's not buying it. I sigh, and pull off my mask.

"It's you!" He says, and I nod. "But, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I say, and he shoots me a look. I sigh. I need to get him to trust me. "I live in this building."

His eyes widen in an almost panicked sort of way, and I worry that I blew it.

"Why are you even talking to me?" He asks, not in a rude way, but in a generally curious way.

"Because you showed me mercy," I say, and I can tell I've got his attention now. "That last fight, you had me cornered, and I was expecting you to, I don't know, kill me or something!"

"But, Master Splinter always told us to never kill unless it was absolutely necessary. That all life is precious, and it's a powerful thing to take," He replies.

"But, that goes against everything I've been taught about you! Master Shredder told me, told all of us in the Foot Clan, that Hamato Yoshi was evil and ruthless, and that he had taught you and your brothers the exact same thing. That you all wouldn't hesitate to kill."

He looks at me in light disbelief. "Do you realize you just described the man who told you these lies?"

"Yes! I mean, no! Or, maybe? Ugh!" I yell, running my hands through my hair. "I don't know what to think! When you spared me, you flipped everything that I've ever known on its head! I don't know who's wrong and who's right. And recent events haven't helped matters," I mutter, absentmindedly rubbing my left arm.

"The Shredder didn't take us getting away that well, I take it," He says, softer and with understanding, and I nod.

I turn to face him. "You don't understand; I've been with the Foot for a few years now. They pulled me out of a very dark time in my life. Who knows where I'd be if it wasn't for them? And, sure, we weren't the most…legal organization, but, really, we weren't doing too much bad stuff until Master Shredder came here. He's been pushing us to capture you guys, changing everything. I've been going along with it, because nothing seemed to challenge it. And Chris always told us how great Master Shredder is, so who were we to argue with him?

"But then, you showed me mercy, and Chris betrayed me, and I just don't know anymore," I say, and sit down, feeling rather dejected. He looks at me for a few seconds, like he's unsure how to respond.

"My name is Donatello, but you can call me Donnie. What's yours?" He asks suddenly, and I look up at him. It's my turn to be confused.

"I figured we should probably know who we are," Donnie explains.

"I'm Cody."

"Look, I'm not exactly certain what the Shredder has told you, but I can tell you right now that most of it is lies. Yes, Master Splinter raised us and taught us ninjutsu, but he taught us an honorable form. We're simply trying to keep the city safe," He sits down beside me and thinks for a second.

"Remember the night, about a month ago, when Shredder faced me and my brothers for the first time?" He asks.

"Yeah, it was the same night Chris and Xever mutated."

Donnie nods. "Do you know he almost killed all of us?" I nod. Donnie's eyes drop to the floor. "It was…brutal. I'd never seen someone move so fast and quietly. He electrocuted one of my brothers, dropped a sign on another, and held a knife to the throat of a third. The only reason we even escaped was because Dogpound – excuse me – Chris and Xever showed up and distracted him," He looks up at me. "Did I mention we're only 15?"

I jump up in shock. "I'm only three years older than you!"

Donnie gives a dark chuckle. "I guess we're all younger than we figured."

"He nearly killed me to, you know," I say, and Donnie stands up and looks at me. I roll up my sleeve and show him the bandages. "I nearly bled to death. All because you guys got away again," I see guilt rise up in his face. "Not that it was completely your fault. Chris sold me out, saying the loss was my fault."

"That doesn't happen often?"

"It never happens! We're all supposed to take the fall together if a mission fails. Chris was in charge of the New York branch of the Foot Clan before Shredder came, and he was the one who installed that in us!" I see Donnie wince slightly. "He placed sole blame on me because you figured out that I tailed you. How did you figure that out?"

"Well, I kinda spotted you out of the corner of my eye, so I signaled to my brothers, and we cornered you guys on the roof."

We stare at each other for a moment, then a techy song fills the air. Donnie reaches down a pulls out something that looks like a smart phone, but shaped like a turtle shell.

"A turtle iPhone? Figures," I say, snorting slightly.

Donnie shoots me a defensive look while he texts. "They're called T-Phones, and I'll have you know I made them."

"Wait, you made that?!"

"Yeah, that's my role in the group. I'm the smart one who invents stuff, even if my brothers don't fully appreciate it."

"That's amazing!"

"Thanks," He says, grinning slightly, and then he turns to me. "That was Leo, one of my brothers. He's kinda wondering where I am," He pauses slightly. "When do you go back to the Foot?"

"About three days."

"Though a part of me is feeling very hesitant about this, I'm starting to trust you. Do you think you could help me and my brothers out? Give us some info about the Foot Clan?"

"You mean be a double agent."

"Yeah, like that."

"What will you tell your family?"

"That I've discovered a rouge Foot Clan ninja who's going to be helping us. That I have his number so I can contact him," He says, while handing me his T-Phone. I put my number in, naming myself "Ally".

"And," Donnie continues, his voice lowering suddenly and he shoots me a dark glare. "If he turns on us, he will pay for it and he knows it." I nod.

"Good," He says, smiling slightly, back to the almost dorky turtle I've only just really met. "I'll be in contact with you soon."

We nod, and he runs back off into the shadows, leaving me alone to wonder what I have just done.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8! So, now that we have Donnie in here, let's bring the others in. If you see anything wrong with characterization, please tell me in reviews. Just, again, no flames please. So, let's see what's going on._

**Just don't sue me. You don't wanna know what'll happen.**

* * *

I sit in my bedroom, back in normal clothes, contemplating what just happened only about 15 minutes prior. I'm staring at my phone; Donnie said he'd contact me soon.

_What_ in the world have I _done_? Even just talking to Donnie could get me marked as traitor; the fact that I've agreed to help him and his brothers has pretty much solidified that. If Master Shredder finds out, he'll make sure I'm dead.

But, at the same time, there is almost a…liberation to this. I'm starting to see just how corrupt Master Shredder's presence has made us. But, if he was really in charge this whole time, have we always been corrupt?

My phone goes off, an unregistered number popping on the screen. I pick it up. "Hello?"

"Cody?" Donnie's voice answers.

"Yep, it's me."

"Is he alone? Make sure he's alone," A different voice asks in the background. This one has a carrying quality that seems to naturally cry "leader".

"Yes, I'm alone," I respond back, and I hear the voice on the other end of the line say something, but I don't catch it.

"Hold on, I'm putting you on speaker," Donnie says, then there's a quiet beep. "You good?"

"Yep, I can hear ya loud and clear."

"Good, so listen to this," A new voice comes on, and I can hear the phone roughly changing hands and a slight cry of protest in the background from Donnie. "If you do _anything_ that proves that we shouldn't trust you, I'm gonna get angry. And you won't like me when I'm angry."

"But, Raph," A bubbly voice says. I think this one's Michelangelo. "You're always angry!"

"I AM NOT ANGRY!" Raph yells back, and I suppress a chuckle as the phone on the other side again changes hands.

"So, you're this Cody person," The leader's voice is back.

"Yep, Cody Watts."

"Leonardo, or Leo for short," He says. "The angry one is Raphael, or Raph, and the uhh... loud is Michelangelo, or Mikey."

"Hey!" Mickey protests from the background. "So, you don't like Dogpound, right?"

I pause, wondering who he's talking about. "Dogpound is Chris Bradford," Donnie supplies.

"Uh, well, we're not exactly on good terms right now."

"I knew it! We're gonna be best friends!" Mikey shouts through the phone, almost to the point where I'm afraid the neighbors will hear.

"Okay, Mikey, let's not scare him off," Leo says, and I can hear him take the phone back. "So, as I was about to say, and don't take offence to this, but I'm not 100% sure about this."

"None taken."

"But, I do think we could help each other out. From what Donnie's told us, it sounds like the Foot Clan wasn't nearly as evil until the Shredder came."

"Yeah, but even I'm not sure. I mean, he's technically always been in charge of the entire Foot Clan. Chris just used to run the daily operations of the New York branch until Ma-the Shredder relocated here. And, ever since then and Chris' mutation, he's been less and less like his old self."

There's a pause on the line. "Are you sure about this?" Leo asks. "About helping us?"

"Yeah, you told me you've been with the Foot for a while," Donnie adds.

I think for a bit. _Am_ I really sure about helping the turtles out?

Yes. I think about what Shredder put me through. I think about what he's done to the turtles. They're not the crazy killers; he is. He needs to be stopped.

"Yes, I am," I say, and I'm almost surprised by the amount of confidence in my voice. I can tell the turtles are too because it takes them a bit to respond.

"Okay then. You'll give us info on Foot Clan activities, be an intel source. We'll do some more of the heavy lifting," Leo says.

"Yes! That's my favorite part!" I hear Raph yell in the background.

"We can work to bring the Shredder down from the inside," Leo finishes.

"Sounds good," I say, then pause. "Why are Splinter and the Shredder enemies? I feel like my version of things may no longer be accurate."

There's a pause. "Master Splinter and Shredder used to be friends. But, Shredder grew jealous when Splinter married a girl named Tang Shen. There was a large fight and…Shredder killed his family," Leo says.

"Family?"

"They had a daughter," Leo says. There's a long pause, then the phone shuffles again.

"Then, Master Splinter came to New York and bought us at a pet shop, then he met some Kraang droids and we all got drenched in mutagen and he decided to raise us in the sewers!" Mikey says, and I can tell by the tone of his voice that he's trying to cheer everyone up.

"Wait, Kraang droids?" What are they talking about?

"The Kraang are aliens from another dimension. They're the ones who brought the mutagen to Earth that mutated us, Dogpound, and Xever," Donnie explains.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I ask aloud, and the guys laugh.

"Don't worry about the Kraang, unless Master Shredder finds out," Leo says.

"It might not be too long. He's curious as to how Chris and Xever were mutated."

"Well, just keep us updated," Leo says. "Now to tell Master Splinter about you…"

"Wait, you haven't done that yet?"

"Uh… no," Leo admits.

"Well, if he needs convincing, call me."

"Will do," Leo says. "Good bye," He says, and the others echo back.

"Bye," I respond, then hang up. Then it just hits me that I just had a phone conversation with my former enemies, who are also teenage mutant ninja turtles. "Today has been a strange one," I mutter as I save Donnie's number into my phone.

* * *

I slowly walk into the Foot Clan headquarters. It's been a week since I've been here, and I don't particularly want to relive what happened last time. I also know that I'm walking in here a traitor, but a part of me doesn't care.

As I change into my Foot Clan gear, I check my phone. Donnie had texted me yesterday that they had fought the Foot and won, so I was prepared for a more tense atmosphere.

As I walk to a training room, I notice someone new in a workroom. I backtrack and peer in. There's a young, African American man with a mild afro and a pink sweater hunched over a worktable. I walk in and see a metal robot with large, sharp jaws and two small legs. It almost looks like a mouse.

The man senses my presence because he jumps and looks at me in shock. "Woah! You startled me there! I'm still getting used to being around ninjas…"

I pull off my hood and introduce myself, and the man shakes my hand.

"Baxter Stockman, inventor extraordinaire!" He says, raising his arms wide.

"What's that?" I ask, indicating to the metal creature on the table.

"Oh, this is one of my Mobile Offensive Underground Search Excavation and Retrieval Sentries. Or M.O.U.S.E.R.S for short!" He says, a look of pride on his face. Something about the name seems familiar. His face falls slightly. "This is one of the few that survived the attack by those _wretched_ turtles! But, I can rebuild them… Anyway, nice meeting you, but I have to get back to work."

"No problem… Baxter Stockman, right?" He nods in confirmation. "Good luck."

As I leave I hear him mutter "Finally! Someone got my name right!"

I duck into an empty hallway and pull out my phone and look up Donnie's text. Sure enough, it mentions something about the M.O.U.S.E.R.S. I pull up a text message and write back.

**Baxter Stockman, guy who invented robots you fought last night, now working for Foot. Don't text until later tonight, at Foot HQ. **

I send the message and head to training. I can tell by the stares I receive that everyone knows the circumstances of my absences. I don't see Dogpound, I mean, Chris or the Shredder during training, or at any point during the day.

It occurs to me then that I've started dropping the "Master" from the Shredder's name. I've gotta be careful not to vocalize that, as it might give me away.

Once I home, I check through my phone. There's a missed call from my doctor confirming when I get the stitches out, and a text from Donnie asking me to call him when I can.

"You're very own double agent speaking," I say when Donnie picks up the line, and he chuckles slightly.

"So, is the thing about Baxter Stockman true?" He asks.

"Yep, met the man and his M.O.U.S.E.R.S today."

"He's not giving up on those things? Leo and Raph aren't going to be happy about that…" He trails off, chuckling slightly.

"So, why did I need to call you?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah! We told Master Splinter about you and…He wants to meet you."

"He does? When?"

"Could tonight work?"

"Yeah, I'm open, but why?"

"He wants to meet you face-to-face. Apparently, that's the only way he'll trust you."

"Well, I don't exactly know how to get to your place…"

"Don't worry; we'll take care of it. Just meet us on your roof at one in the morning."


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9! Fair warning, this one's long. Well, it is rather important. (Why are all my chapter 9's so important?) We are bringing Master Splinter into this. I'll admit, I had some trouble writing this one, because I really wanted to get Splinter right. I hope I did well! XD_

**I have a friend who's a trained assassin who kills people with books. Trust me, it's a lot more threatening than you think. She's also really loyal and a TMNT fan, so any second thoughts there, lawyers?**

* * *

I sit on the roof to my building, about five minutes till 1 AM. I'm wide awake, having the common sense to take a nap. I'm wearing casual clothes, trying to be as nonthreatening as possible.

Am I nervous? Hell yes. I think back to what the turtles told me about Splinters past with the Shredder. It's honestly kinda amazing that he's even giving me a chance. I know that if I screw this up, I'm not getting another one.

I sense movements in the shadows, and I turn. Donnie appears first, giving me a light wave in greeting. We wait a second, then he frowns.

"Guys! He's not gonna attack you!" He calls out, and Mikey comes out from somewhere on my left, nonchalantly sliding his nunchucks into his holders. The red and blue turtles – I'm not sure which one's Raph and which one's Leo – come out soon after.

Mikey runs right in front of me, a big grin plastered on his freckled face. "Hi! My name's Mikey! Do you like pizza?" He asks in a very rushed voice.

"Uhh.. Hi. I'm Cody. And yes."

"Sweet! You're a ninja, _I'm_ a ninja! You like pizza, I _love_ pizza! We have so much in common!"

"Okay, Mikey, _again_, let's not scare him off already," The blue says, then lightly pushes him aside. "I'm Leo."

"Cody," I say, and give a light bow. His pale blue eyes widen in slight shock, then he smiles slightly as he returns the favor.

Behind us, the red one scoffs. "Great, we got another Leo," He says, and I note that he still has his weapons out; a pair of twin sais.

"You must be Raph," I say, walking over. He gives me a look. "Nice sais."

"Thanks," He mutters, spinning them slightly. I realize it'll take a bit for this guy to trust me. Well, my record is three out of four. Not bad odds. He also may be waiting on what Splinter has to say. In fact, they all might. I think about how Donnie had to reassure them that I wasn't going to go all Foot Clan ninja on them.

"So, when do we leave?" I ask, looking over the four turtles.

"Whenever you're ready," Donnie says. "Though, we're gonna have to blindfold you."

"Master Splinter's orders. He just wants to be sure we're safe," Leo adds.

I figured something like this was coming. "It's cool, I get it."

Leo nods while pulling out a thick strip of black cloth. He takes a running stance and in an instant I see nothing but darkness. I nearly panic until I feel the three fingered hands securing the blindfold in place.

"Woah. Fast," I mutter, slightly disoriented from the sudden loss of my vision.

"Thanks," Leo says as he tightens one final knot. I feel another turtle take my hand, and I instantly put my trust in which ever one has a hold on me.

"Raph's gonna have to carry you, considering we have some rooftops to jump over," Donnie says from in front of me, and I can tell he's the one leading me. "Once we get to the ground we'll let you walk."

"Wait. Why me?" I hear Raph ask, and Leo gives an exasperated sigh.

"Because you're the strongest physically out of the four of us, and yes I did just admit that out loud. You're the only one who can carry him over the roofs while running," Leo says.

"Fine," Raph says, and Donnie lifts me onto his back. I grip tightly onto the top of the shell. "You all ready for take-off?"

"As I'll ever be," I say and I feel him start to run.

It's amazing. Without my sight, it's almost like I'm flying. I can feel when we're suspended in the air and despite the fact that I've jumped roofs many times before, I feel my breath catch. The turtles are silent as the run, and for a moment I can almost forget they're there, that I truly am flying over New York. The fantasy stops soon after it began as I feel Raph climb down a fire escape.

He lands, and I slide off his shell and work on regaining my footing. "You all good?" He asks, low so the others don't hear.

"Yep," I reply, and I feel another turtle grab my hand, and I walk behind him for a bit. Then there's the sound of metal scrapping against concrete.

"Oh, right. You guys live in the sewers," I say, and it comes out sounding rather mean.

"Yep. It might freak people out if there were four mutant turtles living in an apartment building," Leo says, and I can hear the caustic sting to his words.

"Sorry. I just kinda forgot."

"It's cool, bro," I hear Mikey say as he puts his arm around my shoulder. "It's actually a rather sweet pad. There's all kinds of cool rooms and stuff to do. Well, except for Donnie's lab, that place is rather boring."

"Hey!" Donnie protests. I chuckle as I feel Mikey, still with his hands on my shoulders, lead me to the ladder to the sewers. I slowly make my way down, making sure my hands and feet are secure before moving. I can tell it would be a bit of a fall if I were to slip.

I get to the bottom and soon they're leading me down a tunnel. I'll admit, it's not the most pleasant smelling place, and I can't help but jump slightly at the sound of God knows what scurrying around the walls. I am _not_ a big fan of rats. After I found one in an old school supply closet during elementary school, rodents tend to freak me out.

Despite all this, I'm eager. I want to meet this Splinter guy, and prove myself to him. I want to help these guys out.

"It's an old subway station, so there are turntables coming up ahead," Donnie warns, and I blindly reach my hands out until I find them, then push my way through. I stand still as I feel one of the turtles undo my blindfold. I blink, getting used to the light again.

For an underground, abandoned subway station, they've got a nice place here. They've got some old arcade games, some cushions pilled on old benches to make a couch, there's a TV which was obviously been fixed up some, and I can see the lights from the kitchen. They must have reworked some whirring, because the room is lit and at isn't nearly as cold as the sewers were.

"Nice place," I say, looking around.

"Pretty good for a sewer, huh?" Mikey asked, a big grin on his face, before running to the kitchen. At this, the other three grimaced.

"Quick note: If you can't recognize it, don't eat it. And even if can recognize it, be weary," Raph says.

"He's not much of a cook, is he?" I say, looking to the kitchen.

"Well, he tries," Leo says, then straightens up slightly. "I'm going to get Master Splinter."

Donnie, Raph, and I nod as Leo leaves the room.

"He's your guy's leader, right?" I double check, and Donnie and Raph nod, though Raph has some reluctance. At this moment, Mikey comes out, holding a box of warmed up pizza. When Donnie and Raph reach for a slice, I know it's safe.

"So, why so early in the morning?" I ask.

"We're kinda nocturnal, more by force of habit and necessity than natural instinct," Donnie says. "We don't go to the surface during the day much."

"People might get freaked out if they saw four giant, mutant turtles walking the streets," Raph adds.

"I can see that," I say, then we hear two steps of footsteps come down the hall, and Raph turns to Donnie.

"Uhh, Don, you _did_ tell Cody about _sensei_, right?" He asks, and I watch Donnie's eyes widen.

"Tell me what?" I ask, when the footsteps enter the lair. Leo comes in first, followed by a tall figure behind him.

"HOLY SHIT!" I scream, and instinctively dive behind the benches. That was a _giant rat_. A. Giant. _Friggen_. Rat! Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap…

My panic attack is broken by the sound of Raph laughing. "Raphael!" An older, fatherly voice rings out across the lair. It's a unique mixture of wise, kind, and strict. Currently, it carries a tone of anger as well. "Stop your laughing at once!"

"Sorry, _sensei_, but…" Raph replies, still chuckling. "He was a member of the Foot Clan! And you scare him by walking into the room!" Wait… the giant rat is _Splinter_?!

"To be fair, nobody warned me!" I call from behind the benches.

"Oh, really," The same wise voice calls out, and I realize that this is Splinter's voice. "I know we do not often have visitors down here, but it should be slightly obvious to tell them, especially if they'll be meeting me."

"_Hai, sensei_," The turtles respond back.

I sheepishly stand up, and I can feel the blush on my cheeks. "I'm sorry, Master Splinter," I say and force my eyes to look at him. Once I get past the whole _rat_ thing, he's actually rather human looking. He's tall, taller than Donnie, who's got an inch on me, and wearing a muted magenta _kimono_ and carrying a green staff. Though his face is the most rat-like part of his body, his eyes are extraordinarily human.

"It is fine, though, I will not tolerate such language in my house," He says, giving me a hard look.

"Yes, sir."

"Now, Cody Watts, come with me," He says, and I walk over and follow him out. As I walk by the turtles, Donnie, Leo, and Mikey each give me reassuring grins, and even Raph sends me a quick grin. I figure that's the best I'll get out of him.

I follow Master Splinter back to a dojo. Small, fogged windows allow enough light for a tree to grow. Weapons lay on racks attached to the walls, and carpet lines the floor, possibly as padding against the hard stone. Even though this room is used for training, there's a sense of tranquility.

Master Splinter sits on his knees, and I follow suit. "I am going to ask you a few questions and I ask that you answer them truthfully." I have a feeling that he'd somehow be able to tell if I lied.

"How long have you been in the Foot Clan?"

"About two years. Chris Bradford recruited me off the streets when I was 16."

"What are your responsibilities in the Foot Clan?"

"I'm part of the regular groups of basic ninjas who go out on missions. I don't hold any special title or placement."

"I know that the last time you fought with them was when you encountered Donatello for the first time. Had you fought against my sons before this?"

"Yes."

"Have you had any interaction with the Shredder?"

"A little. Nothing much more than talking about missions in a group or when he watches over training sessions," I stop there. Master Splinter looks at me, and I can tell that he knows that I'm not saying everything. I take a deep breath.

"The night when I first saw Donnie as more than just an enemy, Bradford told the Shredder that I was fully to blame for the mission failing. That's not what he taught us when he was in charge."

"Chris Bradford?" Master Splinter asks for clarification, and I nod. "What did he teach you?"

"That the failure of the mission lies with everyone involved."

Master Splinter nods. "What happened after Bradford singled you out?"

"The Shredder had the others leave, then he beat me up pretty badly. Kicks, punches, insults, the blades in his gauntlets. In fact, he cut my arm deeply enough that I almost bled to death. He also gave me the scar on my eyebrow. I think it was that moment in particular, combined with your son's mercy, that has lead me to realizing that the Foot Clan is wrong."

There is a pause at this moment, and I realize he's the first person that I've told the whole story to. Yeah, I'd mentioned some stuff to Donnie when we first talked, but it was just a few details. I didn't realize how good it would be to talk about it. It feels like I can breathe again.

"How will you get information about the Foot Clan to my sons?" It takes me a second to realize he's started talking again.

"Cell phone. Donnie gave me his number."

"One last question: Where do you live?"

"The apartment complex on 22nd Street." His face stays stoic, but I watch those incredibly human eyes widen slightly. I wonder why. Is there a connection to that place?

He nods and then stands up. He looks down at me. "Cody Watts," He says, then smiles. "I believe that you will be a strong ally. You have my trust. Be warned, however, that if I find that you have broken that trust, you will not like the consequences."

"_Hai, _Master Splinter," I say as I get up and bow slightly. He gives me a grin that fills me with pride. It's the smile of a father, and it's something that I've missed.

We walk back into the main part of the lair, where the turtles are waiting. When they see us come in and see that I'm grinning, they run over. Mikey tackles me in hug, Donnie grabs me around the shoulders, Leo claps me on the back, and Raph gives me a high-five (or is it a high-three? High-eight?) I'm feeling better and better about this already, even as I ignore the voice in the back of my brain saying that I won't be able to hide this from the Foot forever.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10! So, are you expecting a breather after the last crazy chapter? LOL, NOPE! Yep, more stuff's going down. In fact, things are just going to stay rather fast. So, brace yourselves! _

**Just…don't sue me.**

* * *

A few days later, I'm training with the Foot, blocking the punches my training partner throws at me. He's a new guy…Andrew, I think. I wish that I could warn him about all this, that the Foot Clan isn't the place of promise and opportunity like I thought it was when I joined. There's been a lot of new recruits lately; the Shredder wants to add to our numbers, thinking it my help defeat the turtles.

He still has no idea that I have betrayed him. No one here does. I know they'll figure it out eventually. I just hope it's the moment before we defeat him.

Andrew throws a hard punch towards my left arm. I'm able to block most of the impact, but pain still shoots up my left arm, and I gasp in pain, grabbing it.

"You okay, dude?"

"Yeah, just watch the left arm. I just got stiches out yesterday," I say and I wait for him to realize that I'm the one the "All Great and Right Master Shredder" punished. Instead, he cocks his head in a confused manner.

"How'd ya hurt yourself?" He asks. So, he's so new here he hasn't heard about me yet. The rumors are dying down, and I'm not getting as much crap, but I've almost become the example of what could happen if you fail.

"Accidentally dropped a knife while cooking and I had some trouble catching it," I decide to use the story I told the O'Neil's.

"Nice," Andrew says, his voice filled with lighthearted sarcasm.

"Cody! Andrew! Stop talking and get back to work!" Dogpound growls at us. Yes, I've started using the nickname the turtles use, though I'm smart enough to keep it in my head. It fits him better than "Chris" now, and I haven't been talking to him much lately anyway. It's probably a good thing. He's pretty much the Shredder's lapdog now (no pun intended), and I need to avoid any unwanted attention.

Training finishes and I head back to the changing rooms to get my normal clothes on. Making sure no one can see the screen, I check my phone. Nothing from the turtles, as I expected. The Kraang's been giving them some trouble lately. Donnie tried to explain it to me, something about a power cell to another dimension and some friend of Mikey's named Leatherhead and how crappy of a day Donnie had, but it all went over my head.

I headed home, deciding to use the rooftops. I get to mine rather quickly, and I see that there's someone else up here, their back to me.

"April!" I call out, recognizing her red ponytail. She jumps slightly and turns, then smiles as she sees me.

"Cody! It's been a bit," She says as she walks over.

"I've been kinda busy," I say, shrugging.

"How's the arm?"

"Got the stiches out yesterday, so it's about as good as new."

"That's great news!"

"So, how's Agatha?"

"She's fine. She hasn't broken anything lately, which is probably the reason that I haven't seen you much," She says while laughing. I'm about to ask what she's up to when my phone goes off.

"One sec," I say to her, and look at the new text message, my mood falling when I see that it's the Foot Clan's all call text system.

**We believe that the turtles are going out tonight to track another enemy of theirs. We will track them and take them down. If possible, we'll attempt to ally with this other party.**

"Sorry, April, I have to go," I say, and she shrugs and waves as I head down the fire escape. I run back over to the Foot Clan headquarters, not taking the roofs because this ways longer. I pull out my phone and call Donnie.

"What's going on, Cody?" Donnie asks as soon as he picks up.

"Are you guys going after the Kraang tonight?" I ask.

"Yeah, how did you-" He cuts off as the realization hits him. "The Shredder knows."

"Yep," I say. "We're heading up out for a 'surprise ambush'. I'm just giving you a heads up. Also, go away from the Kraang. All the Shredder knows is that you guys are going up to go after a different enemy. He wants to figure out who they are and ally with them.

"That's the last thing we need," Donnie mutters. "Remember what we agreed on?"

"Yep. I'll wear a small strip of green cloth on my right wrist so you guys can tell who I am. Plus, I won't be hitting you guys as hard."

Donnie laughs. "You still have to hit us, huh?"

"Hey, I've got a cover to keep up!"

"Well, I'll catch the others up to speed. See you later. Don't punch me too hard."

"Will do. See ya later," I say and hang up.

I get to Foot Clan HQ, we go through a very quick debriefing, and then we head out. Sneaking through the shadows, I keep a lookout for the turtles. I fidget slightly with the green cloth on my wrist. It's small enough that you can miss it if you're not looking.

We keep patrolling. I'm with most of the ninjas on the ground, going through alley ways. Dogpound and a few other ninja's follow behind in a van. This used to fill me with excitement and adrenaline. Now, I'm just filled with dread.

The sound of footsteps enters my ears, and I look out of the alley way I'm hiding in. My eyes widen slightly when I see April walking all by herself, seemly looking for something. What's she doing out here so late?

The van Dogpound's in turns onto the street, and April quickly ducks into an alley way across the road. I watch as her eyes trail the van as it drives by, then she pulls out a cell phone and starts texting.

A few moments pass and I sense someone behind me. I turn and meet silver-blue eyes behind a blue mask. Leo looks at me, then at my wrist, then smiles at me. His eyes then glance upward and I follow his lead. Looking up I see three turtle shaped shadows above us. I nod and then, in the space of a blink, Leo's gone.

I glance back to the alley way April was in, but she's gone. As soon as that thought comes to me, the turtles rain down on us.

I duck out of the way as the fight begins. Staying hidden, I climb up a fire escape, and attempt to find April. I'm on a landing about halfway up when I hear a gasp behind me. I turn and see April, her eyes filled with fire and locked dead on me. Then, I see the sole of her boot as she kicks me off the fire escape. I fall straight into a dumpster, which cushions my landing. Gross, but I'll take it over broken bones.

"Nice one!" Raph calls out, and I figure he didn't know it was me. I see April give him a thumbs up before she heads onto the roof.

Wait a second… April knows them?!

How is this possible? But, then I think about it. Her new friends: four guys, all brothers, homeschooled by a slightly unconventional dad, like pizza, and have never met her aunt… Stupid! How did I miss this?

Wait… they know where April lives. That explains so much! That's why Donnie was on my roof that night, and why he looked panicked when I said I lived there. He had been visiting April. It also explains Master Splinter looked slightly shocked when I told him where I lived.

Why didn't they tell me? April can get off, as she doesn't know that I'm allied with them. But, the turtles better have a very good excuse. Why didn't they tell me that we had another ally living in my building?

A ninja looks into the dumpster and I get up, acting like I had been knocked out by the fall. The turtles are gone, meaning that they, and by association, me, won. I act mad, but inside, I'm ecstatic.

Dogpound shows up, looking slightly worse for wear. "You all head home. I'll talk to Master Shredder alone," We all nod, grateful to not have to deal with an angry Shredder.

I run back to the apartments via rooftops and once I get on the roof, I pull of my hood.

"Cody?!" I turn and see April, white as a ghost, looking at me like I'm going to kill her.

"April, this isn't what it looks like-" I try to explain it to her.

"Then what is it? Because I know what this looks like," She cuts me off. I'm in shock, but then it occurs to me that she doesn't know that I know she's with the turtles. That she shouldn't know anything about the Foot Clan.

"Wait… how _do_ you know about this?" I say, gesturing to the outfit that I really wish I wasn't wearing. Her eyes widen as she tries to think of an excuse.

"I-it-it doesn't matter!" She stutters out. "Just stay the hell away from me, my aunt, and my friends!" She yells, and I do nothing to stop her as she makes her way down the fire escape.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11! So, will April and Cody make up? Also, another turtle is going to make an appearance, though this one isn't a mutant. ;) Keep calm and read on! XD_

**Please don't sue me! I'm just a 16-year-old girl who's frightened of big, scary lawyers! *Hides in sock drawer and cries for days***

* * *

The Shredder ends up giving us the next day off, so I spend it worrying about what to do. I haven't called the turtles, partially because they're probably sleeping, knowing their nocturnal habits. I also don't bother going over to Agatha's; April's at school, and if she were home, she'd just force me out. Plus, Agatha doesn't know anything. I can't risk pulling someone else into this. I'm already worried about April.

I am _so_ mad the turtles didn't tell me. Seriously, they knew we were neighbors! They couldn't bother telling me? Or, for that matter, her! I mean, it might have been a good idea to tell her that a Foot Clan member who's working for their side lives down the hall!

I'm frustrated enough that I go to my computer and pull up Photoshop. It's been a bit since I've had a chance to draw on here. I start working on stuff, again allowing my emotions to take over and fill the screen.

A few hours later, I look it over. Most of it is a tie-dye of blue, orange, red, purple, magenta, and yellow. What those colors represent is not lost on me. In the middle is a circle, with a bright, white light in the upper right edge. In the center of the circle, a man hidden in shadow, wearing the outfit of the Foot Clan. He's looking up towards the light, and his right wrist is out slightly. On that wrist, a small band of green. Me.

I save this one as well, calling it "New Beginnings". I sigh, feeling better, as I always do after I draw some. I'm about to make dinner when my phone buzzes. It's a text from Donnie.

** Can you come down here? **

I reply back quickly.

**It's about April, isn't it? **

There's a short pause before the reply.

**Yep.**

** I'll be there soon.**

I run over there, remembering the path I took home that first night. As I get close, I see a flash of orange, and I stop as Mikey appears in front of me.

"Hey Cody!" He calls out in greeting as he sees me.

"How mad is she?"

"She's more...upset. Donnie's been staying with her."

"Why didn't you guys tell me?" I ask as we start running towards the sewer.

"Well…I'm gonna let Master Splinter explain this one," He says, sheepish, and I sigh as Mikey moves the man hole cover and we go in.

We're almost there when Mikey turns to me. "Also, uhhh, she doesn't know you're coming," He gives me a cheeky grin, to which I roll my eyes.

"Thanks for the warning," I deadpan, and go in. The first thing I see is April, her head resting on her hands which rest on her knees, sitting on the benches next to Donnie. I head the TV, and I turn and see Leo fully engrossed in some cheap-looking cartoon. Interesting; he never struck me as a cartoon lover.

Donnie looks up as I enter, and April follows his lead. When she sees me, her eyes narrow. I attempt an awkward wave.

"Why are you here?" She spits out at me and stands up, ready to take me on. Leo pulls his attention away from the TV, and Raph walks out of the kitchen carrying a…normal turtle? I make a mental note to ask about that later.

"April, let me explain-" I try to start, but she cuts me off.

"Why are you guys just standing there?! He's in the _Foot Clan_!" April turns towards the turtles.

"You guys still haven't told her!" I say, shocked.

"Told me what?"

There's a blur of movement, and next thing I know my right arm stings. I look over to April who's rubbing the same spot. Standing in the middle of the living room is Master Splinter, holding his staff. I realize that Master Splinter just hit us with said staff. The turtles are caught between being shocked and trying not to laugh.

"It is obvious that there has been a severe lack of communication going on here, a good part of it my fault," Master Splinter says. "Cody, you may speak, and, April, you may not interrupt."

"Thank you, _sensei_," I say, and I watch April's eyebrows shoot up, but she sits back down and looks at me. "April, yes I work with the Foot Clan. But, I've been working to help the turtles, acting as a double agent. Of course, the double agent thing is still a bit new, but I'm completely on your side."

"Why didn't you guys tell me?" She asks, turning towards the turtles. Donnie blushes slightly in embarrassment before answering.

"It, uh, kinda slipped our minds. Ya know, the whole Leatherhead thing," He admits, and April gives an exasperated sigh and mutters "Boys…"

"That doesn't explain why you didn't tell me," I say.

"This one rests on me," Master Splinter admits. "I was nervous about telling you about April in case something where to happen to your cover."

"You still don't fully trust me, huh?"

Master Splinter smiles ruefully. "Not fully when I first met you. You certainly have proven yourself. But, yes, that was part of it, the other part being in case the Shredder where to find out. I now see that this was a mistake, and I am sorry."

"It's fine. I get it," I say, which is true. Yeah, it hurt a little, but looking at things from their side, I could see their reasoning.

"So, April, how'd you get caught up in this?" I ask.

April sighs again, and I fear I've hit a sticky subject. "My dad was taken by the Kraang. We've been working to find him."

Yep, I hit a sore spot. Damn it, Cody!

"I'm so sorry," I say walking over.

"Thanks. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"So, this means I can talk to you and your aunt again?"

"Yeah, you might need to. We just got a new toaster, so expect a call soon."

"How can you screw up a toaster?"

"It's my aunt," April deadpans, and we both laugh.

"Well, everyone's best friends again, and it's all really touching," Raph says. "But, we've got training."

"Raphael is right," Master Splinter says, and there's light groans and sighs as everyone gets up and heads towards the dojo, even April.

"Wait, April, you're training too?" I ask.

"Yep!" April says, a light look of pride on her face "Master Splinter's been training me to be a _kunoichi_!"

"So, that explains the kick you gave me to the face last night," I say, following them. April's face reddens.

"That was _you_? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She says, and I wave it off as the turtles laugh, and even Master Splinter gives a chuckle.

As they enter the dojo, I turn to Master Splinter. "It's alright if I watch, right?"

"Of course," He says, smiling. "I just might pull you in," He chuckles at the probably hilarious look of shock on my face as everyone takes their position.

I sit down by the wall when Raph walks over, carrying his turtle still. "Hey, uh, can you watch Spike for me?" He asks, his voice a whisper.

I look at the turtle and make the connection. "You're pet turtle? Sure, but, seriously dude, _you_ have pet _turtle_."

"Shut it!" He mutters, and I stifle a laugh.

"It's cool, it's cool," I say, grabbing Spike and placing him next to me.

"Just…make sure he doesn't wonder out onto the floor or anything," Raph mutters, then runs back out to join the others. I grin as I look down at Spike, who looks up at me.

"You're in a cool family, you know that, right?" I mutter to him, placing my hand on his shell. He gives me a look, as to say "Of course I know it!"


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12! So, everyone's aware that, in this fic, we're caught up to "Leatherhead", right? Well, let's act like the mid-season break between "Leatherhead" and "I, Robot" is equivalent to about that time in the actual show. So, everyone knows where we are in canon, right? And, yes, I'm aware that this pretty much is slightly AU, but isn't almost anything published right now technically count as that? Anywho, if you have any questions, just PM me. So, enjoy this chapter!_

**Honestly, if you sued me, I'd probably just end up befriending the voice actors ('cause I love them that much!) and get them all on my side. *Shrugs***

* * *

A week passes. I start joining the turtles during their training sessions and nightly patrols. I learn loads from Master Splinter. Martial arts becomes less of a fighting style and more of the art it's supposed to be. I'm careful around the Foot, though; the Shredder would recognize Master Splinter's style in a heartbeat.

April and I spend more time together, talking about training and other ninja stuff. We get loads of time today, as Agatha's toaster actually did break. I ended up learning what Agatha does today; she manages an antiques store. I learned this fact when she frantically ran out after getting called in suddenly soon after I had come in to work on the toaster. So, April and I had plenty of time to talk. After I finish, April leaves a note for her Agatha saying that she's gone over to her friends, and we head down to the sewers, picking up a pizza along the way.

We get down and see Leo and Mikey locked head-to-head over an old arcade game, Raph sitting on the couch reading a comic book with Spike on his shoulder, and Donnie madly typing something on his laptop. Mikey looks up from the game and starts sniffing the air. At the same time, he presses a button and by the look on Leo's face, it seems like Mikey just won.

"I smell pizza," Mikey mutters.

"Well, I brought pizza," I say, and the others look over. Donnie walks over to us, and for a split second, something like jealousy passes in his eyes when he sees April and I. But, it passes quickly as he gives us a toothy grin.

"We should probably dig into this before Mikey does," He says, and we heed his advice. Soon, we're all sitting on the floor in the living room, joking and laughing and eating pizza. Even Master Splinter joins us as he walks in and grabs a slice.

"So, any training tonight?" I ask and Master Splinter shakes his head no.

"Just patrols," Leo says, and April sighs.

"I wish I could go…"

"Why not?" I ask her before it hits me. "Oh, right. You've got school tomorrow."

"And I have a test in Algebra 2 over quadratics and it makes no sense…" She pouts, but Donnie turns to her, looking a bit more interested.

"What's confusing you? I bet I could explain it," He says, and the rest of us tune out the sudden math tutoring session. I try to ignore the fact that I dropped out of school before even completing Algebra 2. The fact that I still don't have a high school diploma is kind of a sore spot. Donnie's offered to help me get a GED, but I've turned him down. I'm just too busy.

"And the '_i' _just means that it's imaginary," Donnie's voice breaks up my thoughts.

"And '_i_' equals -1, right?" April asks, and Donnie nods. "That makes _so_ much more sense now! Can you just teach my math class?" April jokes and Donnie laughs.

"Well, now that the boring math blah blah blah is over," Raph says, standing up. "I'm ready to head up to the surface." Everyone else agrees, Mikey giving a "Booyakasha!" as we head up.

"Shall we take you home?" Donnie asks April.

"Sure!" She says, giving a grin. I act like I don't notice Donnie's blush.

"I have to get darker clothes while we're there," I remark, looking down at my bright red shirt.

We make our way back to the apartments, say goodbye to April, then I pull on full black sweats and join the turtles as we sail across the New York rooftops. The past few times I've joined them on patrols nothing much has happened. I know if they get caught up with Foot Clan or the Purple Dragons, I've got to stay out, so I'm kinda hoping for some Kraang. I've heard so much about them; it'd be kinda fun to fight them.

"Kraang droids, dead ahead of me," Raph calls out, and Leo nods, and I follow as we all follow behind Raph. I look to where he's indicated and see two identical men in business suits with indifferent faces.

"Are those their human disguises?" I ask Leo, who's near me. He just gives a quick nod before soaring into the air in a flip. I've learned by watching them train and just thinking back to past fights with them that they seem to have this "ninja mindset" they slip into during times of action. It's at this that nothing else matters but each other, their enemies, and how to take them down. When they're like this, they fight with a fluidity and grace that I could only hope to fight like.

They all start fighting, and at first I only watch them. I can feel them feed off each other's energy. As they start fighting, more Kraang come out, some in the identical human disguises, others in large metal robot suits. The robot suits are almost worse, because you can see the brain thing in the abdomen. Mikey wasn't kidding, they were really creepy.

Raph suddenly appears in front of me, sais up, pushing against a Kraang. He sees me, sitting in the shadows, and makes a motion with his head. _Come on!_

I jump up, kicking the Kraang off to the side. It slides into a brick wall, and the pink lights in its eyes flicker off and the brain thing crawls out and runs off, making weird grunting noises.

"Okay, _ew_," I mutter as I watch it run off. I feel someone behind me, and I dodge a punch from a Kraang in a human disguise. I glower at him and charge. We dodge each other's blows, and he gets a good one on me when he kicks me in the back. I fall to the ground, wincing slightly.

"You should not be in this place where we are in this place fighting the ones known as the turtles," He says in a robotic monotone as he stands over me.

"Wow, dude, you _need_ to learn English," I say, then push myself onto my hands and give him a sharp kick right in the stomach where the brain thing should be. The Kraang flies backwards into a wall.

"Yeah, right in the brain!" I yell out, then run off, looking for more to fight. I punch one towards Donnie, who smacks him with his bo staff, grand slam style. I run and jump off Mikey's back to give one a sharp kick onto Leo's waiting katana. Then I find myself back-to-back with Raph as we begin taking down alien robot after robot. Soon, they flee, and I give one of the brains that has crawled out of its suit a strong kick for good measure.

"Nice one team!" Leo praises as we exchange high threes/fives/eights. We hang around a bit and investigate what the Kraang where up to.

"Looks like they were stealing tech of some sort," I say as I paw through the box. "Do you know what this is, Donnie?" I ask, handing him something.

He looks at it, his eyes widening. He opens his mouth when Raph cuts him off.

"Make sure to put it into normal English," He says, and Donnie gives a huff of annoyance.

"In layman's terms, it's the power source to a very powerful and top secret military weapon," He says.

"And how do you know about this 'top secret' thing?" I ask, and Leo shots him a look.

"Dude, I hacked past CIA firewalls when I was 11. Besides, it doesn't matter how I know what it is. This means that they're trying to replace that power cell that Leatherhead gave to us."

We stand there, this new information settling in, when we hear police sirens. "We've got 45 seconds," Donnie warns, and I've learned not to question how he knows this. I just follow the other up to the roof and head out before the cops show up.

We patrol a little bit, but we're all tired from the fight, so we head back to the sewers to tell Master Splinter about what we've found.

"This is very troubling indeed," He says, stroking his bead. "Donatello, are you certain that the power cell is well hidden?"

"Yes, _sensei_," He says, his face serious.

"Then we will continue to keep our promise to Leatherhead and keep it safe, and we will look more into this. We cannot allow them to be able to return to their own dimension. It would only make them more powerful."

We nod, and I say my goodbyes before heading back up to the surface. Instead of running across the roofs, I walk along the streets. One annoying thing about New York is that all the lights drown out most of the stars, but I see a few brighter ones shine through the artificial light and city smog. Seeing them, I smile, thinking about how my life has improved immensely over the past few weeks. I'm grateful for it.

I tiptoe my way to my apartment, being cautious to everyone who's sleeping. I collapse onto my bed, and fall asleep quickly.

My peaceful slumber is disturbed early in the morning when my phone goes off, the bright light of the screen burning my eyes. I pick it up, squinting at the brightness and sigh when I see that it's 5:45 AM. My annoyance grows when I see that it's the Foot. I open my phone, and my annoyance and anger turns into dread as I read the text message.

**I need everyone in my room immediately. We have a breach in security, a Code Green. – Master Shredder**

Code Green. That's what we say when we feel that we've found a traitor in the Foot Clan.

I've been discovered.


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter 13! Fair warning, another long one. So, is Cody's secret out of the bag? Well, I know, but you don't. So, I'm gonna shut up and let ya read. :) _

**I'll shut up here too, 'cause I know you guys are enjoying this. ;)**

* * *

Crap. Crap, crap, crap, _crap_! I am so _dead_! It's all over. I'm doomed. I've been found out. I've been discovered. The Shredder is going to kill me today. I am a dead man, spending my last few minutes running over New York rooftops, going straight to the man that's ready to murder me. But, I have to be there; not being there would just confirm it all the more. And then he'd just send some ninja's after me, which would just make things more complicated and might drag the turtles in and…

No. I want to face this with honor. It's better to die standing up than running.

I promise myself that I won't tell the Shredder anything about the turtles before he kills me. Because he will interrogate me and drag this out to try to get me to talk. But, part of this dying with honor thing is to take it and to not say anything. I don't want my last act to be one of betrayal.

I think back to the last Code Green, which was the only other Code Green that I've ever witnessed. It was back in my early days, and I wasn't quite sure what had happened or what ended up happening to the guy. I just know that I've never seen him again, and I had told myself that he was a traitor and deserved everything he got. I know better now.

I make my way in and try to act natural. No one seems to give me any suspicious glances, but we are all in uniform. It's kinda hard to tell everyone apart. We file into the Shredder's room and kneel, and I feel myself scowl as I do so. I look to my left slightly and see that even Xever has come up to watch the show. Off to a side wall, Baxter Stockman stands, looking awkward. Then again, he comes off as a guy that always seems awkward. The Shredder sits in his chair, looking off in the distance, as though deep in thought. Behind Shredder's chair, hiding in it's shadow, is a girl with short, dyed hair. I've seen her around sometimes, but I'm not sure exactly who she is. I can't see her mouth behind a mask, but her eyes show amusement Dogpound stands to his right, glowering over all of us, trying to sniff out the traitor.

I feel myself start to shake. I try to control my twitching body and my rapid breath, which would give me away even more. Once everyone's here, the doors shut with a reverberating boom, and I try not to flinch. The Shredder stands up and looks over us, the metal in his armor clanging together as he moves.

"Members of the Foot Clan, we are here to discuss a Code Green. A traitor is in our midst," He says, and I can hear some of the newer guys around me gasp. They were apparently unaware what Code Green meant.

I brace myself for what's about to come. I imagine the Shredder coming out to us and yanking me up by the knives in his gauntlets. He'd yell, reviling my so-called crimes and everyone would wonder what made me turn. And maybe, just maybe, I'd become a martyr for someone. Be that spark that leads someone to question the Foot.

But, this doesn't happen. "I am not sure who this traitor is, but I swear that I will hunt them down and they will be dealt with. If anyone has any info, they are to come and tell me. You will be rewarded."

I let out a silent, shaking breath of relief. He doesn't know. Not yet anyway, but I'm in the clear for now. I just have to be more careful.

The Shredder orders us to training, and it's one of the most intense training sessions I've had in a while. I'm so tired from the early rise, and the anxiety from possibly being discovered was the only thing that kept me awake. Now that it's gone, and after the long hours of training, I'm on the verge of collapse. I end up getting my ass handed to me in a sparring match with one of the newer guys.

"Pathetic, Cody," Dogpound growls at me as I lay on the ground, wincing at the pain shooting up my back. I would've gotten up and punched him in the face, but I'm so tired I do nothing but shoot a death glare at him. My partner helps me up, and we're dismissed for the day, after getting another reminder to keep an eye out for anything suspicious and to report it to "Master Shredder".

I get back into my normal clothes, and try to leave quickly. "Cody!" Dogpound's voice, however, stops me. I pause, take a deep breath and turn to face him, trying to show him by facial expression that the last thing I want to do is talk to him.

"Do-er-Bradford," I say, and curse myself for almost calling him Dogpound. Way to not arouse suspicion, Cody! He runs over to me, and there's a light amount of hurt on his face, and it occurs to me that I normally don't call him by his last name. I almost feel bad. Almost.

"Hey, Cody. I, uh… I'm sorry about earlier. But, we've got to keep our skills up if we're going to track down these turtles. Especially now that someone here is working for them…"

I try to act shocked and hope it doesn't come off as guilty. "Really? Master Shredder knows that the traitor's working with the turtles?"

"Yep, a few Purple Dragon's caught someone with the turtles last night, and recognized it as someone in the Foot Clan. He said that he 'recognized the face as someone in the Foot, but couldn't remember the name.' Apparently, he's never actually spoken to the guy. To me, that makes the claim a tad unreliable, but Master Shredder takes all breaches in security seriously."

I nod. "Well, I really have to run, so-"

"Cody," Dogpound cuts me off, and I try not to look too annoyed.

"What do you want?" I finally snap and ask him. He blinks, caught off guard by my sudden hostility, but I'm tired of him.

"Look, I just want to talk to you. It's been a bit since we've been able to, and I kinda miss it,"

"Well, yeah you've been busy, running around helping Master Shredder all the time, not caring about any of us anymore,"

"Cody, that's not true-"

"Look, sorry if I seem rude, but I'm really tired. I just wanna go home a nap, so can we talk later?" I say, and he just nods. I give a quick wave and run off, trying to suppress the urge to punch something.

I get home and text Donnie before falling asleep:

**I need to talk to everyone soon. But, can we wait a few hours? I'm really tired.**

I wake up a bit later, and see that it's nearly ten o'clock. Man, my sleep cycle is _so_ screwed up. I look at my phone and see that Donnie responded about four hours ago.

**Sure, come over whenever you're ready.**

I get up, put on something decent, eat something fast, and head over to the sewers. All the way, I keep my eyes open and my ears alert, making sure that no one sees me going over there. My carelessness in that regard caused me to be caught, by the Purple Dragons no less. I need to be more careful.

I head down, and see everyone, April included, sitting in the living room, and I can tell they're waiting for me. I look at Master Splinter, and I can tell he already knows what's coming. He's kinda cool and freaky like that.

"The Shredder knows that someone in the Foot in giving you guys info," I get straight to the point as I walk over and sit on the benches. I feel Mikey put a reassuring hand on my back.

"Does he know it's you?" Leo asks.

I chuckle darkly. "If he did, I wouldn't be here talking to you," I mutter, and I feel everyone suck in their breath. "Some of the Purple Dragons saw me with you guys last night. Luckily I've never talked to any of them in my life, but the Shredder's going to be keeping a tougher eye on things."

"Things are going to be a lot harder on you in the coming weeks. Oroku Saki believes treachery to be one of the highest crimes," Master Splinter says, sound like he's speaking from experience. I think back to what the turtles told me about his and the Shredder's past, and it occurs to me that he is.

"I seriously thought he was going to kill me…" I mutter. I straighten up. "But, I promise you all that if it comes to that, I won't betray you, no matter what."

"Let us hope that it doesn't come to that," Master Splinter says.

"I hate to sound like a bad break up, but we need to stop talking to each other for a while," I say, and Raph, Leo, and Mikey all immediately start protesting.

"No, Cody's right," Donnie says, standing up. "It's the only way we're all going to stay safe until the Shredder lets this go."

Leo sighs. "Donnie's right. But, how are we going to get info?"

"I'll try to tell you all as much as I can, but it won't be as often as you guys are used to. It's the only way we're all going to stay safe until the Shredder lets this go. And, I'll still wear the green cloth on my wrist during missions so you guys will be able to tell that it's me. I just won't be able to visit much anymore."

We sit some more, and soon the mood lightens as we start playing video games and letting some of the tension go. But, as April and I get up to leave, it all floods back.

"Do not forget what I have taught you," Master Splinter says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"I won't, _sensei_."

"Don't forget to let us know if anything major comes up," Leo adds.

"I will."

"And I know that you're going to actually have to fight us again now, but can you try to not punch us too hard?" Mikey asks.

A laugh a little before answering, and I'm glad for Mikey and his ability to lighten the air. "I won't. I should be back in a few weeks once this all blows over."

"We should go; my aunt's going to wonder where I am," April says, and I give one more wave before leaving the lair. As we walk away from the turntables, my shoulders sag.

"Like you said, you'll be back once the Shredder lets this go," April says, but her words just go in one ear and out the other. I can't believe I just had to do that. I'm so tired of the Shredder and the Foot Clan. I wish I could quit, but that's impossible. Plus, it would pretty much be saying "Hey, guess what? I'm the traitor!"

We make our way back to the apartment going over roofs, and we stop at the fire escape landing by April's bedroom.

"We probably shouldn't talk as much anymore either," I say.

April gives me a look of shock, and I interrupt her before she can argue back. "The Foot Clan may not know your name, but they know your face and that you work with the turtles."

"How do they know that?"

"They kidnapped you once, remember?"

"Wait, where you there for that?"

"No, but I heard from Dogpound. My point is, if they catch me with you, we're both at risk. You didn't notice how nervous I was as we came back here? I got caught by the Purple Dragons by being with the turtles!" I take a deep breath.

"The point is, I don't want you to get too involved. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Why does everyone act like I'm some damsel in distress? I can handle myself," April says, a fire in her eyes.

"I get that, but even I couldn't survive against the Shredder. The guys barely did, and Master Splinter managed to defeat him, but lost everything. I'm not saying you can't handle yourself, because I know you can. I just-"

"I get it," April interrupts, her shoulders sagging, and I knew I've won her over. "Just…Stay safe, okay? I need you to help my aunt when she breaks stuff."

"No worries, April. I'll be fine," I say, then wave goodbye before heading over to my room. I sit down on my bed and run my hands through my hair.

I hope that I didn't just lie to everyone.


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter 14! So, how's Cody handling the fact that he's pretty much not allowed to talk to his friends? Let's see…_

**If you sue me for all I own, you'd get my trumpet. But, you'd also get two very pissed off band directors who are going to want me to play that trumpet. And they are **_**not**_** pretty when they're angry.**

* * *

The next few days are torture.

I'm either at home or training with the Foot Clan. Security has increased so much due to the Code Green that I'm constantly on edge, and it shows in my training. I delete all the texts from Donnie and change his name in my phone to "Doctor" or something in case my phone gets searched. I'm acting mildly paranoid, but I feel that it's justified.

I'm bored as hell at home. April makes good on her promise not to talk to me, and it makes me realize that the O'Neil's are the only friends I've got at the apartment complex. It's a rather depressing fact to face.

I spend a lot of time on the roof, trying to find serenity. My laptop's often up there with me as I'm drawing nonstop. New York skylines, random portraits of people I see on the streets, still life's of the apartment rooms I'm able to see into solely because people pulled their blinds up, whatever catches my fancy.

I'm on the roof one evening, four days after the Code Green, randomly messing with colors and effects when a blur passes me by. I look behind me and see the outline of a turtle shell and short, orange mask tails. Mikey. It hits me then that it's about the time of night they'd head up for patrols, and that they're keeping an eye on me. I smile and give a wave, hoping one of them will be able to see it.

I turn back to my computer and notice a pizza box. I raise my eyebrows in amusement as I open the box. Half the pizza's gone, typical Mikey, but it's still warm and I appreciate the gift all the same.

About an hour later, I get a text from the Foot Clan. I don't even bother opening it; I know what it is. I put my stuff away, and head over to headquarters.

I'm the only one in the locker room as I get changed. As I leave, I spot a mirror. I look in it, and it takes me a second to recognize my own reflection. Nothing more than a head covered in black, my eyes covered in red mesh.

The sound of breaking glass fills my ears, and there's a sharp pain in my right fingers. I realize that I'm staring at the ground, so I look up. I've punched the mirror; my right hand curled in a fist still presses against the frame, surrounded by jagged shards of glass.

My breathing is deep as I slowly pull my hand down and unclench my hand. Pain shoots up my fingers and I sit down on a bench and pull out the small pieces of glass. Then, I pull off the black glove with its new red stains and throw it away. I dress the wounds and pull on a new glove, making sure to tie the green cloth on my wrist, before running to the Shredder's room.

I kinda zone out through the Shredder's speech: "We spotted the turtles, go catch them, blah blah blah." I get up and start my normal patrolling duty, though I purposely go the opposite direction that I know the turtles went. I hide in an alley way and quickly text Donnie that the Foot's after them, then delete the text before continuing. My phone buzzes once, then twice. The first text is confirmation from Donnie, which I delete quickly after reading. The second is the signal that the turtles have been spotted.

I get to the location the second text said, which turns out to be a roof, and see that the battle has already begun. I watch as Mikey and Leo team up against Dogpound, while Raph and Donnie take care of the other ninjas. I take a deep breath, then run into the fray.

I tackle down Donnie, who gives me a fierce look before noticing the green on my wrist. He nods slightly before we start fighting, and it's almost like we're just sparing down in the dojo. In fact, I almost imagine that Master Splinter's going to yell out some suggestion as to how to improve.

Someone tackles me from the right, and I find myself pined by Raph. I raise my right wrist before he can punch me in the face, and I watch realization fill his face.

"Oh. Sorry, dude," He whispers, then proceeds to punch me anyway, though a heck of a lot softer than he almost did. I kick him off me, and he gives me a knowing smirk as we spar.

I switch between Donnie and Raph, acting like I'm just keeping them off Dogpound's back. In reality, I'm having a blast. I haven't had this much fun since the Code Green. I can tell by the looks Donnie and Raph sneak me that they're enjoying this too.

There's a sudden cry of pain and shock, and Donnie's yell of "LEO!" pulls me and Raph away from our sparring. Leo's somehow lost his katanas and is hanging from the edge of the roof, panic in his eyes. Dogpound is staring over him, ready to knock him clear off.

"Get away from him!" Mikey yells, swinging his nunchucks, as he charges at Dogpound. Without even looking behind him, Dogpound gives Mikey a sharp punch to the gut and he flies back towards me, landing by my feet. I look down at him, then look up in time to see Dogpound give Leo a sharp kick to the face. I watch Leo lose consciousness as he flies off the roof.

Adrenaline courses through my veins as I ran off into the shadows and down a nearby fire escape. I find Leo, still in free fall. I grab him mid-fall, then take him down to a nearby alley way that's out of sight from the fight. I lean Leo against a wall, sitting up slightly, and he groans as he wakes up.

"Huh?" He asks, his eyes glazed over, and it occurs to me that, due to the hood, all he sees is a random Foot Clan ninja. I hold up my right wrist and I watch something click in his mind.

"Cody…?" He asks, and I nod. "Thanks."

"No prob, Leo," I say, grinning as the other three show up.

"Thanks, Cody," Donnie says, before turning his attention to Leo, kneeling down and inspecting his condition. I know that part of his role of being the smart guy of the group is being the medic.

"Thanks for saving him!" Mikey yells, while hugging me.

"It really is nothing," I say.

"And don't worry. As far as I saw, no one but the three of us saw you run off and grab him," Raph says, and I nod. It only now hits me that what I just did was a rather risky move. I just have to hope that Raph is right.

"You might want to head back, though," Raph continues, and I nod, knowing he's right. I turn to Donnie and he looks up from Leo.

"Keep me updated on him," I say, and Donnie nods.

"It doesn't look serious, but I will. You really should head back," I give one last wave, then run back to the roof.

I come right as the other Foot Clan leave, and I join in the back, and no one seems to notice my sudden reappearance. We run back, and I again zone out the Shredder's angry rant about how we've failed him again. I get up to leave, and I swear that Dogpound shoots me a weird look. I change out of my Foot Clan outfit, ignoring the broken mirror and the other guys questions about it, and head home.

Tonight was actually fun. In a weird way, I got to hang out with the turtles tonight, and I was glad I was there to save Leo's shell. But, that look Dogpound gave me…

I shrug it off as me being paranoid as I go to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15! Thanks to snow, everything I had to do today was cancelled. So, you get the really long chapter early! :D So, enjoy! _

**I have a temper to match Raph at times. Do you really want to sue me?**

* * *

I wake up the next morning, and see that I have a text from Donnie.

**Leo's got a mild concussion, but it should heal rather quickly. Thanks again.**

I smile. Good thing Leo's not too badly hurt. Knowing him, he's probably already training again. I text Donnie back, then delete the messages.

**Thanks for the update. And you're welcome. **

After breakfast, I know I have to head down to the Foot Clan headquarters, despite how much I'd rather not. I head out into the hallway, and run into April.

"Oh, hi Cody," She says, and adjusts the straps on her backpack.

"Hey, April. Heading to school?"

"Yeah…" She mutters, looking rather down about it. Can't blame her. "I heard what happened last night," She says suddenly, whispering slightly.

I chuckle. "Yeah, well the leader's doing fine, if you haven't heard."

"Good. Well, good luck with, you know."

"Thanks," I say, deadpan. "Good luck with school."

"Thanks," She echoes me and we head down the stairs together, then head off in opposite directions on the street.

The day starts off normally. I'm careful with the right hand, as the cuts still hurt somewhat from when I lost my temper. I'm doing some afternoon strength training when the Shredder himself comes into the room. We all get up as a sign of respect, though mine's mostly from muscle memory.

"I need everyone in this room to follow me," He says, and then leaves. We all start to follow, and one of the newer guys' looks at me. I shrug in response. I don't know what the Shredder's planning; this has never happened before.

We all walk into his room and the Shredder stands by his chair. Dogpound stands by the door, watching all of us as we walk in. Next to Dogpound is Baxter Stockman, who's holding something that resembles a small voltage meter. We all stand, unsure if to bow or not.

"All of you in this room where on last night's mission," The Shredder starts, and Dogpound slams the door shut, causing everyone but him and the Shredder to jump. He and Baxter Stockman make their way to the front of the room.

Suddenly, it hits me what's going on. Despite what Raph said, someone caught me. I feel my breath start to quicken. No, no, no, no…

"Last night, one of you left the fight after Dogpound knocked the leader of the turtles off the roof in which you were fighting. Another ninja who went out to report on the status of the mission and to try to watch for traitors caught the person who ran off saving this turtle."

That's how he got me. A spy, because the Shredder knew that we were fighting the turtles. He sent that spy out to see if he could catch me helping them. How could I have not thought of that? No matter what we try, he's always one step ahead!

"We made sure you all were wearing the same uniforms you wore out to the mission last night. Baxter Stockman has invented a machine that will pick up traces of the turtles DNA on the gloves of the traitor. We will discover who this is _today!_"

Baxter Stockman turns the machine on and it beeps a bit. Despite how awkward this guy seemed to me, the look on Baxter Stockman's face gives me shivers. I'm shaking all over, even my palms as we hold them out. If the DNA wasn't about to give me away, my shaking hands would.

I remember my promise to Master Splinter and the turtles as Baxter Stockman comes down my row. I look the Shredder straight in the eye as the machine passes over my palms, as it starts to beep and light up. I watch the Shredder's eyes light up in anger, Dogpound scowls at me, and the other ninja's stare at me in shock as Baxter Stockman shoves me forward.

"Now, who are you?" He asks, and Baxter Stockman rips my hood off. I stand there, still looking the Shredder straight in the eye as I hear a few of the other ninja's gasp.

"Cody?!" I shift my eyes over to Dogpound, who's staring at me in shock. I smirk, and chuckle darkly. My temper starts to spark, so I decide to let it burn. I'm a dead man anyway.

"Really, you, of all people, should be the least shocked. You, _Dogpound_, were one of the main reasons that I saw what was wrong with the Foot Clan!" I yell, turning to face him, and get some sick pleasure by the look of hurt on his face. "You feel that? That's only a fraction of the betrayal I felt that night when you sold me out!"

"I just did what was right!" He growls at me, taking a step forward, but I don't flinch. The ability to speak my mind, to finally release these emotions, has filled me with almost a recklessness.

"You went against everything you taught me that the Foot stood for! Of course, that was all smoke and mirrors to cover up the real deal," I say, turning to face the Shredder.

The Shredder stands up, looking right back at me. "I want everyone else to leave the room. Even you, Bradford," He says, cutting off Dogpound's protest. He shoots me a look before leaving with the others.

I'm going to die here, I know it. And yet, I'm okay with that. It feels so good to fully defy the Foot Clan, and something about the adrenaline that this situation is causing me to feel makes me cocky.

"I thought I already taught you a lesson," The Shredder says as he calmly walks over to me. Only the Shredder can go execute a traitor and be calmed by it.

"Yeah, well that 'lesson' is part of the reason that I decided that the turtles and Master Splinter were actually the right ones here."

I enjoy the look on his face when I said "Master Splinter", though it's diminished by him bringing the blades out of his gauntlets. My left arm begins to hurt, as though the sheer memory of the last time he pulled those out in my presence is enough to make it open and bleed again.

"Anything else?" He asks.

"Yeah. It was when I realized you've been lying to us the whole time. When I learned that the turtles were the kind of people I actually wanted to hang around. When I learned that it was _you_, not Master Splinter, who's the crazy murdering psychopath in this equation."

His eyes narrow in anger, and I brace myself from what's to come.

"You're going to regret every traitorous action you've committed," The Shredder says, his voice low, but I notice something above me. I glance up and see a streak of red, then purple, then something small and oval shaped falls into my open hand. I look down and see that it's one of Donnie's smoke bombs.

I take a step back and grin. "Oh, I'm not so sure about that," I say, then throw the bomb to the ground. Immediately, the room fills with purple smoke, and I feel two large, three fingered hands lift me up to the roof rafters. I follow them through a hole in the glass that surrounds the edge of the roof as the Shredder gives a yell in frustration.

I follow Raph and Donnie out to the roof of the headquarters, and we don't even stop to say "Hi," we just start running towards my apartment.

I...I just escaped the Shredder. Holy crap! The fact that I am lucky to be alive is not lost on me.

We make our way into my apartment, and I see Mikey, Leo, and April there, already working on packing things.

"I just sent an email to the landlord saying that sudden emergency circumstances has forced you to move, and that you've got the last few months of rent lying on the kitchen counter," April says. I don't hesitate; I pull out my wallet and put rest of the rent payments in cash on the counter. "Donnie's also whipped your internet history."

"Thanks," I say, turning to Donnie. "For everything. But, how did you guys know that I got caught?"

"Did you really think we were going to leave you all alone?" Leo says, grinning at me.

"I placed a recording device on your Foot Clan uniform when you told us about the Shredder almost discovering you a few days ago. When we heard that you were going to be found out, Raph and I made our way over there while Mikey, Leo, and April came here to start packing."

"You bugged me?" I say, and Donnie gives me a sheepish grin. "Never mind, it saved my life."

We start gathering up my things, knowing that we don't have much time until the Shredder and the rest of the Foot Clan shows up. I'm shoving clothes, my laptop, and a few other personal belongings into a duffle bag. I put on a normal outfit, then leave the apartment.

It hits me then that I'm leaving here for good, and I probably won't be able to ever come back. But, it's for the best. We make our way to the roof, and start towards the lair.

As we race across the rooftops, I sense people closing in on us.

"Guys! Foot Clan!" I call out, and sure enough, Foot Clan ninja's surround us on either side, with Dogpound coming out in front. The guys pull out their weapons, and even April takes a fighting stance. I look at her. I know she's been training under Master Splinter for a few months now. I just hope she knows enough.

"So, Cody, you thought you could escape?"

"Well, I did. I just got some help," I smirk, and Dogpound eyes the turtles.

"I'm going to bring a traitor and four ninja turtles to Master Shredder. He's going to be pleased," He says, grinning evilly. At this I charge him, and pandemonium erupts.

I feel bad for whoever's in the building we're fighting on top of, because we made quite a racket. Swords, sais, staffs, nunchucks, fists, and the occasional "Booyakasha!" by Mikey fill the air. I'm locked with fighting Dogpound, and, despite all my sparing with the turtles, fighting a mutant is hard. He's got the edge on strength and stamina, so I decide to go defensive and work on tiring him out.

While doing that, I keep an eye on everyone else. April's actually holding her own pretty well, as she kicks a Foot ninja in an area I'd rather not be kicked in, before shoving him into a billboard. Donnie's nearby, fighting off multiple ninja's with his staff. It's obvious that he's watching April's back. Leo's picked a fight with our best katana warrior, but Leo's amazing with those swords. But, he's still recovering, which is probably why Mikey's nearby, fighting other ninjas, but I can see the way Mikey will glance over at Leo when he can. And Raph's just having a blast. He's like a wrecking ball, taking down ninja after ninja, offering assistance to whoever needs it.

Dogpound and I keep sparring, and I begin to see effects of my strategy working. He's taking panting breaths while he fights, and I start landing blows. Soon, I go offensive, and it works. He stagers backwards from my hits, and soon I have him cornered near the edge. He slips off, but manages to grab on to the edge.

"Well, isn't this ironic?" Leo remarks as he walks over, the others soon joining him. I look behind me, and see that most of the other ninjas have retreated.

"Well, Dogpound, looks like you've lost," I say.

"Well, are you going to do it?" He asks, and I know what he's referring to. I look at Leo, who shakes his head. Just confirming.

"No, _Chris_, I'm not going to knock you off the roof. Maybe a few weeks ago, I would have. But, I've learned a thing or two from these guys, and I'm not going to stoop down to your level anymore," I spot a rather convenient piece of rope lying on the roof. I grab it and tie Dogpound's paws to the edge.

"I am not, however, above this," I smirk, then look to the others before running back off.

We soon make our way to the lair. Master Splinter looks relieved when he sees all of us enter. "I am glad to see you all are safe," He says, walking over.

"Sorry for the delay, the Foot gave us some trouble" I say.

"And they will continue to, for as long as you are in New York," Master Splinter says, and I watch everyone else's eyes turn to me.

"You're right,_ sensei_. I figured I'd have to leave town,"

"But, you can't leave!" Leo protests.

"Yeah, who am I going to spar against when I beat the rest of these guys?" Raph asks.

"Guys, the Shredder's not going to rest until I'm dead. I have to leave, and probably change my name and all that..." I sigh as the amount of effort this will require becomes obvious.

"I can help with that," Donnie says, and I look over at him. "Seriously, I can make you a whole new identity! New name, driver's license, social security, everything!"

"Not gonna lie, that's a little creepy," Raph says.

Donnie rolls his eyes. "The point is, I can help you start over. It'd be best if you left the state, though, but it'll keep you safe."

I stare at him. These guys have made such an impact on my life in the short time I've known them. I smile at Donnie.

"Thanks. Let's get started."


	16. Chapter 16 Epilogue

_Chapter 16/Epilogue! Yep, this is it folks. It's been lots of fun to publish this! So, enjoy the last chapter and thanks for reading!_

**It's the last chapter. If you wanted to sue me, you would by now.**

* * *

It's been a month.

That's the first thought that comes to my mind as I wake up and look out of my apartment on the Indianapolis skyline. A whole month has passed since I left New York, escaping the Foot Clan. Master Splinter think's that I'm the first person to desert the Foot Clan and live.

Once Donnie set up a whole new identity for me – My name's Nathan Smith now – and erased as much trace of Cody Watts as he could, I used the new credit card we put under Nathan Smith to use as I bought a bus ticket for Indy and never looked back.

I've settled in here rather well. This apartment's much nicer than my old one. I work for a handyman company, actually getting paid to fix peoples broken crap. I spend evenings taking classes working towards a GED at Donnie's urging, and once I earn that, I'm planning at enrolling at the community college here. I spend weekends volunteering at a community center, teaching self-defense classes. Hey, got to put all that ninja training to some use.

I do miss New York, though. The pizza and the Hudson Bay and the turtles. I often draw pictures of what I remember on my computer. Stills from my old apartment. Rooms from the Foot Clan headquarters. My old grade school classrooms. And the turtles training in their underground dojo. It's something to remember it all by.

There's one more thing. April mailed it to me soon after I gave them my new address. It's a painting of the sunrise over the Hudson Bay. It hangs in my living room area. I pick it up and turn it over. I see the loopy, pretty cursive of my mother signature, and next to it, in second grade scrabble, my name. Well, my former name, but it was the thing that made April recognize it as my mom's. Apparently, it was at a crafter's fair she went to.

I remember this. She woke me up very early one Saturday morning, and, being a seven-year-old boy, I protested a lot. But, she brought me up to the roof of our building and I watched as she painted the most beautiful sunrise I'd ever seen. I even helped a little; handing her the right brushes and paints. Once we finished, we signed our names – "It's what all artists do, and you did help me out," She told me – and then we ate breakfast while watching Saturday morning cartoons. I'm not sure how this one survived the fire, but I'm thankful all the same.

I get up, get my uniform on, and ride a bus down to my work. It's a pretty average day; someone's band new washing machine wouldn't start. Turns out the guy at the appliance store installed it wrong. Go fig. After that, I go home, make dinner and eagerly wait for seven o'clock.

My phone rings right at seven. I smile as I pick up the phone and see the words "Friends" pop up on the screen.

"Hey guys!" I call as I pick the phone up.

"Hey, Nate!" Donnie responds back. Wednesdays are the only day of the week that I don't have GED classes, so we designated it as the time when we'd call each other once a week and catch up.

"How've you guys been?"

"Pretty good," Leo responds this time. "Well, you know, just fight the Foot and Kraang and trying to not revel ourselves to the general public."

"So, same old, same old?" I ask, jokingly, and the guys laugh.

"Speaking of the Foot Clan," Donnie interjects. "From what I've been able to track, it looks like they're starting to give up their mad search for you."

"Thank God," I mutter, and I mean it. Despite all the measures we've taken to protect me – I even started growing my hair out, and I remembered how wavy it could get - I still haven't been able to rest easy ever since the Shredder brought us into that room a month ago. Maybe I can finally start to let my guard down, though a voice in my head says I'll never be able to be fully at ease.

"So how have things been for you?" Donnie asks.

"Ah, nothing much. Though, I did learn something interesting about Indianapolis when I overheard some random persons conversation while fixing a dishwasher. Apparently, the Colts stadium hosts marching band championships every November."

"Really? Marching bands compete?" Raph asks.

"Apparently. Maybe I'll check it out in November."

"Yeah, you can tell us how weird it is!"

"Hey! That's mean!" Mikey protests. "Who cares what people do for fun?" There's a smacking sound as Mikey gives a noise of pain while Raph laughs. "That was mean too..." Mikey mutters.

"Hey Co-Nate!" April comes in then, nearly calling me by my old name.

"Hey April! How's Agatha?"

"She misses you. Our sink broke again, and she grumbled the whole time she called the plumber."

"Hey, I get paid to do that kind of stuff now," I point out and she laughs. We keep talking, as they share funny stories of patrols and training and I talk about some stupid costumers I've dealt with.

"Well, we better get going. We've got a city to patrol!" Leo declares, and I can hear everyone's exasperated sighs.

"You guys go do that," I mutter, grinning. I can picture Leo trying to look all heroic and failing miserably. Something's never change.

"So, same time next week?" Mikey asks.

"Of course," I say.

"Talk to you soon. Stay safe," April says, and the others join in with their parting messages.

"You all stay safe too. Bye!" I say, and hang up. I do miss hanging out with these guys, and a problem with a common enemy and the whole mutant thing is that we can't visit. But, Donnie's working on setting up a video camera on his laptop, so hopefully our weekly phone calls can turn into video chats.

Really, though, I have a really good life. I've got a job, a chance at moving forward, and good friends, even if we're long distance. And I'm starting to get to know the guys at the handyman place. And, maybe one day, if the turtles can finally get rid of the Shredder for good, I can go back home and visit.

For now, though, thing's couldn't be better.

* * *

_Sorry it's a bit short, but this was really just to wrap stuff up. Oh, and yes, that marching band contest at the Colts stadium that was brought up? It's real, as I've competed in it. (Couldn't resist throwing that detail in. XD) Anywho, thanks to everyone who read this for all your support! Until next time, MusicGeek764 is signing off! :D_


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